comparing this to a ipad is pointless. it is almost 1/3 the price. Most of the people that buy it will never have used or may not even heard of a ipad. so it is pointless to compare the two.
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Roundup of Early Kindle Fire Reviews
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Just wait until the Nook tablet reviews start
pouring in. You'll read the same comments about the laggy UI. If anyone bothered to really watch the Fire demo's, you see everything mentioned. You see the exact same things in the Nook tablet demo. And if you pay close attention, the Nook tablet doesn't quite get the color white right. I understand that modders are giddy over the Nook's ability to be easily rooted but the target audience for the Fire would have ZERO idea what you're talking about nor would they care. Is it easy to use ? Check. Will it do what I need ? Probably (but that's pretty much the standard answer for any tablet). Is it reasonably priced ? Yep. Does it have apps ? Yep. And about the amount of storage . . . I seem to recall a recent survey (or 2) of people with iPads about where/how they are using them. An overwhelming percentage of the respondents indicated they primary use it at HOME. If it's being used primarily at home, are you consuming media that's stored on the device or is it being streamed ? Think about it. Now I have no problem with anyone wanting greater storage. Especially if they are using the device primarily AWAY from home. Personally, The first iPad I bought was the 64GB model because it had been drilled into my head that more is better. I need it ! In reality I didn't need it. Not even 1/4 of that. I went with the 16GB version of iPad 2. After putting a couple of movies on it, a few CD's worth of music, a bunch of pictures and 3 pages of apps I still have 11GB of storage left. Of course YMMV but people really need to stop and think about what they do or intend to do with the device rather than what someone else say's you need to do.
pouring in. You'll read the same comments about the laggy UI. If anyone bothered to really watch the Fire demo's, you see everything mentioned. You see the exact same things in the Nook tablet demo. And if you pay close attention, the Nook tablet doesn't quite get the color white right. I understand that modders are giddy over the Nook's ability to be easily rooted but the target audience for the Fire would have ZERO idea what you're talking about nor would they care. Is it easy to use ? Check. Will it do what I need ? Probably (but that's pretty much the standard answer for any tablet). Is it reasonably priced ? Yep. Does it have apps ? Yep. And about the amount of storage . . . I seem to recall a recent survey (or 2) of people with iPads about where/how they are using them. An overwhelming percentage of the respondents indicated they primary use it at HOME. If it's being used primarily at home, are you consuming media that's stored on the device or is it being streamed ? Think about it. Now I have no problem with anyone wanting greater storage. Especially if they are using the device primarily AWAY from home. Personally, The first iPad I bought was the 64GB model because it had been drilled into my head that more is better. I need it ! In reality I didn't need it. Not even 1/4 of that. I went with the 16GB version of iPad 2. After putting a couple of movies on it, a few CD's worth of music, a bunch of pictures and 3 pages of apps I still have 11GB of storage left. Of course YMMV but people really need to stop and think about what they do or intend to do with the device rather than what someone else say's you need to do.
Bias?
This is a good case of selective evidence on the part of Macrumors. The majority of reviews I read today said positive things about the Kindle Fire 90% of the time (cnet, engadget, etc). It appears to meet expectations. I find it unfortunate that just because this is a site dedicated to Apple products the bias has to be that obvious over another product that is clearly going to cut into Apple sales and is stealing some thunder. It's not designed to be an ipad people. It's a $199 media consumption machine designed to do what 80% of people are looking for a tablet to do (i.e. check email, browse internet, watch movies, and have some apps for some games & such). When the 1st generation ipad came out I could have made it look like the worst product ever by cutting and pasting paragraphs of 6 reviews that focused on the negative things. This is not a "flop," it doesn't "suck," and it's certainly not "the beginning of the end." It's a 1st generation product, a category-creater, and will be incredibly successful because of both the price and the Amazon ecosystem. I love Apple products, but you fanboys don't have to get all apocalyptic on a product when it will obviously have success. There's room for both products to flourish in the free market, and a little competition for the ipad (those who think this won't hurt ipad sales are dreaming) will only be a good thing.
Macrumors, in order to stay reputable I would encourage you not to pull stuff like this anymore. Anyone who reads a few of these reviews you've selected from in their entirety would see how selective you were in what you put. I expected more from you guys and this is not the Macrumors I have read over the past 4 years. Honesty is a virtue that the consumer appreciates.
This is a good case of selective evidence on the part of Macrumors. The majority of reviews I read today said positive things about the Kindle Fire 90% of the time (cnet, engadget, etc). It appears to meet expectations. I find it unfortunate that just because this is a site dedicated to Apple products the bias has to be that obvious over another product that is clearly going to cut into Apple sales and is stealing some thunder. It's not designed to be an ipad people. It's a $199 media consumption machine designed to do what 80% of people are looking for a tablet to do (i.e. check email, browse internet, watch movies, and have some apps for some games & such). When the 1st generation ipad came out I could have made it look like the worst product ever by cutting and pasting paragraphs of 6 reviews that focused on the negative things. This is not a "flop," it doesn't "suck," and it's certainly not "the beginning of the end." It's a 1st generation product, a category-creater, and will be incredibly successful because of both the price and the Amazon ecosystem. I love Apple products, but you fanboys don't have to get all apocalyptic on a product when it will obviously have success. There's room for both products to flourish in the free market, and a little competition for the ipad (those who think this won't hurt ipad sales are dreaming) will only be a good thing.
Macrumors, in order to stay reputable I would encourage you not to pull stuff like this anymore. Anyone who reads a few of these reviews you've selected from in their entirety would see how selective you were in what you put. I expected more from you guys and this is not the Macrumors I have read over the past 4 years. Honesty is a virtue that the consumer appreciates.
I agree. The Fire will help Amazon sell their products like nothing else around, and that's exactly what it was made to do. I'd be surprised if Amazon added any new features like camera, GPS, faster processor, etc. As long as it is cheap enough to bring in more customers, it's good enough.
What the fire does, in my thinking is several things:
1. It lowers the price of a second-rate product so far that there's no room for other tablet manufacturers to make money trying to be an iPad mee-too. It cleans house of the whole herd.
2. For a couple hundred bucks people will see that there really is a gulf between what an iPad can deliver vs another brand. It fills that low-end niche really well and builds a hunger for the real thing when someone decides to make the jump to an iPad. Buyers are less likely to try a baby step up.
3. People get a feel for what using a tablet is like. It's like learning to play music on a horribly cheap guitar. You get to learn what a fine instrument brings to the experience. It will help bring more people to tablets that have developed a sense of discrimination.
If a person likes a hurky-jerky tablet that lets them read books and magazines and buy crap on-line from Amazon, then they will be happy. If they thirst for anything more, they will have gotten the "go cheap" bug out of their azz.
First off, welcome to the forum. Glad to see you jump in with both feet.
Secondly, lay off the caffeine for a while before you post. You may have hurt your keyboard pounding out that rant.
I think the Fire will be bought by some people that wanted a reader and were thinking of the iPad for that purpose, so some sales will go to the Fire that would have gone to Apple. Then there are folks that will buy Holiday gifts that draw the line at $200, cross the iPad off their list and pencil in a Fire. Some people will buy a Fire thinking it's almost the same as an iPad. Watch the garage sales next Spring.
However, as I pointed out in a recent post, I really think the Fire will energize the tablet market, leading to a broader acceptance of tablets, and thereby generate a greater fallout for Apple they they will lose to the Fire.
I think the Fire is good enough to bring more people to tablets and not so bad as to turn them off. It has utility, and if Amazon never improves it, it will still continue to sell and indirectly make a lot of money to Amazon. If they improve it, and I'm sure they will, it will likely never be a direct threat to the iPad, but still do what Amazon intended it to do: bring in customers.
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You could have bought two HP CrapPads for $200.
A roll of duct tape and two Fires, you will have the same screen size as an iPad, but then you still wouldn't have an iPad but paid the same.
The Fire may actually affect the sale of the iPod Touch the most...but then again, maybe not, the iPod Touch still out-performs the Fire, has tons more apps and is more portable. Both are like reading a magazine through a keyhole in MHO.
You could have bought two HP CrapPads for $200.
A roll of duct tape and two Fires, you will have the same screen size as an iPad, but then you still wouldn't have an iPad but paid the same.
The Fire may actually affect the sale of the iPod Touch the most...but then again, maybe not, the iPod Touch still out-performs the Fire, has tons more apps and is more portable. Both are like reading a magazine through a keyhole in MHO.
Rofl! The TouchPad is not crap; that just shows your bias towards Apple products.
Also, it is discontinued, while the Fire is new and has a better GUI.
The point of having a 7" tablet is because a 10" one like the iPad may be too big to carry around. The iPod Touch does NOT outperform the Fire by a long shot, and is for an entirely different purpose. You're comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended).
Of course reading a magazine on an iPod Touch is like reading through a keyhole. The Fire has 4x the real estate of the iPod Touch's 3.5" screen. It's not small at all, and has a better pixel density than the iPad. In fact, it's a lesser strain on your eyes because the DPI is much higher than the iPad.
Also, the cheapest iPod Touch has 4x lesser screen, lesser performance, and lesser usability as a tablet than the Fire at the same price point. It absolutely sucks compared to the Fire.
If I was in the market for just a Kindle device, I'd get this, it actually looks kinda nice. I almost wish there was 7" iPad.
I love my iPad 2, but I think the Fire will be more popular with book readers and kindle fans than people who want a tablet. I know a lot of people that still have the black and white Kindle and have no interest in an iPad or Apple's App Store.
I love my iPad 2, but I think the Fire will be more popular with book readers and kindle fans than people who want a tablet. I know a lot of people that still have the black and white Kindle and have no interest in an iPad or Apple's App Store.
After your last couple of posts I find your words to me incredibly ironic. Pot, meet kettle
Whoa. Seriously? Every review I EVER read about the touchpad said it was marginally okay, underwhelming, felt cheaply-made, and was very buggy. And no, don't ask me for citations. Google it yourself.
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We knew its never gonna be as fast as iPad.
We knew iPad can do more.
Question is, is it good enough for your needs? Is it worth the price they are asking for it?
No review would be able to answer this question except yourself.
We knew its never gonna be as fast as iPad.
We knew iPad can do more.
Question is, is it good enough for your needs? Is it worth the price they are asking for it?
No review would be able to answer this question except yourself.
Dude just over year ago people laughed at there being a category between a smart phone and computer, and now you want to shove a second in there??? lol. I'm not saying some people wouldn't go for the 7" form factor, but I think that is getting much too meta and niche! I think the points that Steve made about 7" tablets are very valid! Yes, I have played with 7" tablets, and yes I have given the entire topic a lot of thought and reflection from all angles. I think anyone that does will arrive at the same conclusion Steve did. Hence the reason he was quite emphatic about it. His track record isn't what it is by luck!
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I have 2 TouchPads and they have some cool features and a lot of potential with webOS but overall they don't even come close to the iPad in any way!
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Here is a pretty good look into the Fire. They even had one physically to test out.
I am somewhat interested in the 7 inch form factor. Wish Apple would release the mini in the future ad an option. Consumes less table space while multitasking. Hold the tablet in a single hand. Some times just dont need the screen size when you have other gadgets.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/hamazon-kindle-fire-review/?ref=mostpopular
I am somewhat interested in the 7 inch form factor. Wish Apple would release the mini in the future ad an option. Consumes less table space while multitasking. Hold the tablet in a single hand. Some times just dont need the screen size when you have other gadgets.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/hamazon-kindle-fire-review/?ref=mostpopular
You know this how, exactly? This was posted on November 14th. The Fire releases on the 15th. Unless you're a reviewer, you've got zero hands-on experience with the Fire to compare things like usability or eye strain.
(You also jump around between attacking the iPad and the iPod Touch when convenient, such as noting the larger-than-the-iPod-Touch screen, but then jumping to the iPad when talking about pixel density. Curious.)
If I could +100 you, i would.
Those comparing it or knocking the Fire because it isn't as big, slick, fast, etc as an iPad are missing the entire point. Amazon has created a device with a STRONG ecosystem that fills a marketplace niche that the iPad doesn't. It's a media consumption device and very portable which is less expensive than investing in an iPad. It's really not complicated.
Not everyone wants to spend $499+ on a device if all they do is read, watch videos, listen to music and facebook/email. Sure a great interface and UI is important. But for many people around the world - 499 is expensive for a luxury item. at 199 - even if you consider it crippled - it does a lot and for many people - it will be great.
It's also a generation 1 product and will no doubt be improved upon/have OS updates.
So in short - it doesn't matter whether the iPad is the gold standard or not. If you can't afford it, don't need to spend that much or have no need for the Apple ecosystem when you're already invested in Amazon's - the Fire is a great product for many.
Further - I continue to be baffled by some posters on here who seem to only want Apple to succeed and to control all media, etc. I can't think of anything worse than any company having that kind of dominance/monopoly. As a consumer - that would be a very bad thing.
Apple's 1984 Add comes to my mind.
I want Apple to do fine but I am concerned they are just doing what they despised so much back then.
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I'm was really close to pre-ordering the fire to give as an christmas gift, but decided against it. If it had an expansion slot then I would have ordered one, but 8gb just isn't enough.
If I had wifi at my workplace, I would order one. If I at least had cell reception at my workplace, I'd get an iPad instead. As I am... well... there's really no reason to replace my aging Kindle 2 at the moment, and my netbook and iPhone (finally ordered my 4S) will tide me over.
The initial reviews are interesting. Meanwhile, on the internet, the push intensifies for everyone to make their opinions on it more and more firm even though basically no one on MacRumors has touched a Kindle Fire.
This product is a mistake for Aamazon
Amazon is trying to cash in on the value of their brand, but if this thing is as bad as these reviews say it is, it will only end up damaging the brand.
They should have stuck to E Ink. This way, they've let their greed erode the image of their competency.
Amazon is trying to cash in on the value of their brand, but if this thing is as bad as these reviews say it is, it will only end up damaging the brand.
They should have stuck to E Ink. This way, they've let their greed erode the image of their competency.
LOL! Sad but true. And for all the people who keep moaning about no 7" form factor for an iPad:
Unless it has a "retina display," that small a device would probably produce a lot of eye strain.
Doesn't seem like a flop to me, overall the reviews were pretty decent. Obviously it won't beat the iPad in sales but I think it will fare better than the other Android tablets, plus it has Amazon backing it so it shouldn't just fall into obscurity like the Xoom.