Apple Sees No Threat in Kindle Fire, $200 Tablets

[TheZander]

I think they don't feel threatened because the Kindle Fire has a different target than the iPad 2. They are extremely different hardware wise, and even subscribe to different app markets. Some people want a 10 inch screen, but still want a device that's thin and light and gets good battery life. The first android tablet to truly beat the crap out of the iPad 2 is the Transformer Prime. Despite all the android tablets out there in the $400 range that compare spec-wise to the iPad (notice the only ones with the similar slender build, quality screen, and good battery are much closer to the iPad 2's price, with the exception of the aforementioned Asus TF Prime), they still don't have the software polish and OS smoothness on a consistent basis that the iPad 2 has. I have used them side by side.

The first tablet to truly offer that kind of smooth operating experience despite the immaturity and newness of Honeycomb, is the Transformer prime with its exceptional Tegra 3 processor. Keep in mind I don't own an iPad, and I am a true android geek. I own the Galaxy Nexus, and when Ice Cream Sandwich hits the Transformer Prime, watch out. The iPad 3 better be freaking amazing. ICS is truly mature, consistent and smooth. I've used a bucketload of android devices, all the way back to donut. ICS is amazing. It's iOS smooth and mature. It will finally bring a unified architecture for developers on google based smartphones, tablets, and other handheld media devices.

It's going to do wonders for android developers. The $200 tablets will be a LOT smoother and more consistent then, and analysts predict even more developers will start making apps that were previously only iOS for android.

But do the $200 tablets really pose a threat to the $500 iPad 2 and upcoming iPad 3? I agree that the do not. I don't see a single $200 tablet with an 10" IPS screen, 10 hours of video playback, HDMI out with an adapter (or MHL cable if on android), an adapter that lets me plug in USB devices such as my digital camera's memory card for viewing my photos, a bluetooth stack capable of running a keyboard for content creation, and a rear and front facing camera for communication with others. Are there $400-$500 tablets that the iPad 2 should be afraid of? Yes. But the $200 players lack enough of what the $500 players have that they are targeting completely different markets.

 

[freggo]

I own either one and do not plan to but aren't we comparing Coconuts and Walnuts here ?
I mean the iPad and the Kindle are aimed at a different market segment and intended for different uses.
If that is the case than one should not have a major impact on the sales of the other.

 

[del35]

" Having anything Apple is what makes you cool nowadays and since that's what today's society strives for (to stand out amongst the crowd, feel popular)."

It would be nice if made you look "cool". It actually makes you look stupid and clueless.

 

[blackened144]

I bought my parents the Kindle Fire for Christmas.. The tablet is really just a giant smartphone with no cellular radio, but neither of my parents own smartphones so this is a completely new thing for them.. They absolutely love the damn thing.. I played with it for a week or 2 before I gave it to them and I enjoyed using it too but there were some things I didnt like.. The hardware in there is actually pretty damn nice.. Its the same 1Ghz Cortex A9 based dual core CPU as found in most everything now available and has the PowerVR SGX540 GPU which is one of the better GPUs around at this point.. Not as good as the Mali-400 and definitely no where near the iPad 2's SGX543MP2, but still better than Tegra2... Anyway, as nice as the hardware is its still not as fluid doing things as it should be.. I was hoping for an ICS rom to become available before I gave it to them, but that was extremely wishful thinking.. If it wasnt for the fact that there are supposedly Tegra3 based 7" tablets coming out for $250, then I would definitely consider getting me a Kindle when Im ready to buy my own tablet.. But I wouldnt buy it until I could get ICS on there.. As far as the iPad goes, it definitely does have that polished smoothness that I would expect from the Kindle, but at the price that they run, its not even far to compare them..

 

[NuclearShadow]

Apple's CEO laughs in the face of competition, especially the Kindle Fire.

Oh really? Then why the attempt to block Samsung's Galaxy tabs literally world wide?
Why the low blows to even have them removed from shelves to be purchased while you lost your futile case? Reminds me of a dictator they feel all powerful and try to convince others they are while being extremely paranoid leading to unacceptable behavior.

 

[cknobman]

Hmm the last two years have been the "year of Android" for my household. Purchased 1 android tablet and 4 android phones in that time frame.

I may not represent the majority but Apple can stuff a sock in it as I will never own one of their closed loop devices.

Must be the techie and developer in me as I prefer control over my devices and how I use them.

 

[Guest]

"but we don’t think people who want an iPad will settle for a limited-function device"
i laughed my ass off on that statement, i always thought the iPad was the epitome of limited-function device

@Tomfreak
if i recall Apple attempted to sue Amazon from using the term app store, and failed

 

[john_e]

Apple can laugh all they want, sure they have cash reserves in the billions. God knows they will need that cash as life support in the coming months and and years until they are bankrupt again.

Sure Tim Cook was Steve Jobs apprentice and so on. But Cook is NO Steve Jobs. Won't be long before the board pressures Cookie boy in doing what they want. Something they could NOT do with Jobs the 2nd time around.

After all, what is Apple? Who is Apple? Apple was Steve Jobs the person, his vision, his ideas, and his leadership and his iron will. The board that fired him bought Jobs 2nd company Next, and then rehired Jobs and gave him back his company that they ran to the ground because none of those CEO's who replaced Jobs had a vision or any clue what they were doing!

The same will happen again, Tim Cook is safe for now, seems Jobs had some projects left to do but with his passing didn't get to it. Once those projects comes to pass, Apple will loose focus and Cook will end up taking orders from the board or be replaced, or worse have these new marketing guys and accountants think of fads for short term profits. Investors will jump ship to the next best thing. This time Microsoft won't be around to save them again. Apple will end up being the next RIM (BlackBerry)

As for Apple products I personally am not a fan. I think majority of people who buy an iPhone, iPods, iPads, just buy them for their sleek design. It's no different then women buy one of those ugly Louis Vuitton Purses and brag about them.

It's no different about Microsoft phones, everyone hated them carriers didn't stock them, now that Nokia had redesigned the first true WP7 called the Lumia 900 which should be out in mid March.

It seems a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon of this new sleek designed Nokia phone that is now being sold as the Lumia 800 (Nokia N9) except that it has no front facing camera and a smaller screen. The Lumia 900 is the first true windows phone.

The software is seamless, but once the Apollo OS (aka WP8) hits the market by years end or next year, Apple will have its fiercest competitor. Windows 8 will be operating on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones.

So bottom line Tim Cook should worry and be very worried!!!! With Google's ICS and Microsoft Windows 8, they will be bombarded by all sides. Not to mention with Samsung's and ASUS pad designs, joined by Nokia for phone designs of late, Apple will have have a run for its money.

The future will be interesting and it will be a battle on all fronts which will be great for consumers.

 

[Northwestern]

All that profit is going to their heads. One day, CrApple is going to regret opening their fat mouth.

 

[tmshdw]

[citation][nom]thorkle[/nom]This makes it sound like apple was innovative in some way... I'm confused...[/citation]

You certainly are.... You ignore that Apple has put together a consumer package that has energized new markets several times (iPod, iPhone, iPad). Pull your head out....

 

[tmshdw]

[citation][nom]xerroz[/nom]Of course they wouldn't be threaten, they've become the definition of fad. Having anything Apple is what makes you cool nowadays and since that's what today's society strives for (to stand out amongst the crowd, feel popular. In other words, superficialism) then of course Apple would dominate the market. It has nothing to do with innovation, like someone pointed out before me, Apple has never been innovative.[/citation]

Another head pull out needed here..... stand by with the washy stuff to get rid of the smell.

 

[supall]

The sub $300 market is about to bloom this year. I don't have any real need for a tablet, save for a larger screen to view web pages on when I'm at a free wifi hotspot. I think 7" tablets will continue to grow mostly due to some of the more interesting tablets coming out this year. With a Kindle Fire successor, rumored Nexus Tablet, and Asus Memo and Prime tablets, it appears to be a good year for Android growth.

 

[Guest]

Kindle Fire = poor mans Ipad.

So, if i buy an ipad then i will be rich?....

...or a patetic wannabe?
....looks like the second one.....
in fact most ipad owners fits perfectly that description...

 

[ojas]

Hehe. Looks like Apple and ARM are having similar thoughts about their competition. They're sh*t scared (ARM at least must be) but cant show people that.

 

[leon2006]

6M is 40% of 15M of the IPAD sales for Q4 alone. That is a significant figure but on the low segment of the market that have less feature/capability. That's a lot of missed revenue for Apple to ignore.

If you are an IPAD user you don't need an e-reader. If you have an e-reader(kindle) you wish you have an IPAD. The money segment is always a big factor so people settle for the less expensive kindle(less feature/capability).

Not everybody can afford the IPAD but for those who has the budget for that segment IPAD is preferred than Android base tablet. The sales numbers are very clear on market preference. It can't be ignored.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

"I think people really want to do multiple things with their tablets, so we don’t see these limited-function tablets and e-readers as being in the same category as iPad,"

:lol: Oh boy, isnt that ironic?

FYI Apple, I got my Toshiba THRiVE for 280$ and it does way more than my friend's iPad and it does WAY more than my friends iPad 2.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

does way more than my friend's iPad 2.*

Sorry it wouldn't post my comment and things got confused.

 

[tokencode]

[citation][nom]xerroz[/nom]Of course they wouldn't be threaten, they've become the definition of fad. Having anything Apple is what makes you cool nowadays and since that's what today's society strives for (to stand out amongst the crowd, feel popular. In other words, superficialism) then of course Apple would dominate the market. It has nothing to do with innovation, like someone pointed out before me, Apple has never been innovative.[/citation]


As you become more successful and more people have your products, it by nature becomes less you unique and therefore less "cool" to have. I do not think you say Apple hasn't created new markets, but Apple's challenge, as it was with the Mac, will be holding on to those new markets as real competition begins. Apple will need to give up on some margin in order to remain price-competive and the competition catches up, or surpasses Apple form a technology perspective. From a hardware standpoint many phones have already leap-frogged Apple. From a software perspective, Andoid and WP7 are both about as good as iOS or better. Personally I think WP7 is a far more polished OS than either iOS or Android and Windows 8 will only build on this.

Apple will only reamin "cool" as long as they continue to innovate and provide capabilities that you cannot get else where. I have never really liked Apple's products, but even I had an iPhone for a while because it offered a capability (pocket-sized computer with Internet) that was not available any where else.

Apple was successful

 

[kewlmunky]

They may be targeting different wants, but most people used to want an iPad mainly because they didn't know other tablets existed. As more developed they thought it was better because it was around longer. Now there is a really good priced tablet, the Kindle Fire, that isn't quite as luxurious as the iPad, but it will do most of their needs, thus they won't want to splurge for the iPad.

Kind of like someone who wants a car that gets 35mpg and has a sun roof. They may settle for one that gets 33mpg and only a moon roof, but for a much better price.

 

[eddieroolz]

They target different markets. I've looked at the Kindle Fire but I've never considered an iPad. My friends have an iPad and don't even look at the sub-$300 tablets.