Is Kindle Fire set to be the Apple/MS slayer tablet?

[Carol Haynes]

At $199 are Amazon going to push Apple, MS, RIM, HP etc. out of the tablet market.

Building a subsidised device for the general market seems a bit immoral and may get the monopoly people hot under the collar - bur makes good business sense!

See http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/amazons-kindle-fire-just-nuked-the-tablet-market-winners-and-losers/59147?tag=nl.e539

[rgdot]

My 2 cents:

Apple, Cheaper will not dissuade the Apple consumer just yet. That may change in the future.
RIM, They are already in trouble even before this, I think RIM is seeing and will see a gradual drop off any way.
HP, for all intent and purposes already exited this market.
MS, Hardware and MS...meh
Android in general, as mentioned in the article probably most affected, especially if Fire keeps growing in features.

[Carol Haynes]

And another article on CNET - four new Kindles announced today:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20112800-266/amazon-unveils-kindle-touch-and-kindle-fire-tablet/?tag=nl.e404

This is an interesting development - I just hope they can get their quality control issues sorted out - the longevity of the original Kindles and the DOA devices are pretty well documented. Can't help feeling that at those prices it will be difficult for Amazon to produce top quality!

[Carol Haynes]

An interesting (and somewhat scary) video about Amazon's new browser for the Fire:

_u7F_56WhHk#!
Two questions:

1) Anyone ever heard of mainframes/minicomputers and terminals - this is not innovation
2) Just think of the marketing potential the Amazon cloud will collect - is it just me being cynical or is this architecture more aimed at data mining or the customer?

[Edvard]

I know some people who'd love to have a Slayer tablet!



(Sorry, couldn't resist... )

[xtabber]

I think the big winner here will be the major Android tablet makers.

HP is out of the tablet market and RIM is on the way out -- the Fire is manufactured by Quanta, who built the PlayBook for RIM, and has much the same form factor. Obviously, this is a good way for them to unload their stock of components and avoid a big loss.

Amazon forked the Android 2 source and the Fire is a customized Android device with much of the functionality (camera, Bluetooth, etc.) left out.  The Fire is designed to work only as a device to consume Amazon's media services - books, music and video.  That will certainly satisfy the needs of many entry level customers, but anyone who wants more will want a full Android tablet, particularly if these become available at competitive prices.

Several months ago, Lenovo announced that it would be shipping a full-featured 7 " Android tablet by year end, the A1, also priced at $199, and with the same screen resolution as the Fire.  If Lenovo can do it, so can Samsung, Toshiba, Motorola and others.  

[nosh]

who'd love to have a Slayer tablet!

You-said-wood! Uhuhuh!

[40hz]

Several months ago, Lenovo announced that it would be shipping a full-featured 7 " Android tablet by year end, the A1, also priced at $199, and with the same screen resolution as the Fire.  If Lenovo can do it, so can Samsung, Toshiba, Motorola and others.  

I'm thinking more like if Apple can sue Samsung and block it from some markets on the flimsiest of IP violation arguments, they can sue everybody else as well.

[mahesh2k]

Apple is more restrictive with the usage of their tablet -ipad. Kill flash, kill multitasking, kil more non-apple holes. Amazon has no such restrictive plan and all they want is customer to their stores. They have nothing to lose if anyone jailbreaks their android tablet for whatever reason as long as they shop at amazon. I dont see much usage of such small device, if people are using it for cloud and browsing then i don't think there is much innovation left other than graphics and faster computing.

I'm going to hold off on tablet temptation unless someone like waccom from design industry comes up with affordable tablet. But considering price (99$) and (199$) it looks good to buy this christmas for those who are dying for tablet. Why buy 350-500$ Samsung Galaxy for your small needs when you can get tablet at 199$ or 99$ ?

[wraith808]

Take a look at this post on gdgt- it has some interesting inside info on the tablet, that definitely points to it not being any kind of slayer, and more pointed towards the NookColor (and it's basically a playbook... and we know how *that's* working out).

[mouser]

From slashdot:
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/104945-kindle-fire-flames-have-been-doused

"Ahead of tomorrow’s full-scale launch of Amazon’s new wunderkind, panacea, and lynchpin of its continuing distribution domination, initial reviews of the Kindle Fire are starting to trickle in… and they’re not as fantastic as we — or you — had hoped. "

[xtabber]

Amazon seems to have done a very good PR job on the Kindle Fire, as a result of which, they have a substantial number of pre-orders for it.  I suspect they will sell quite a few to people who don't know any better, but it is certainly not going to push any other Android tablets out of the market.

[mahesh2k]

I think aim is not to push any other tablet out of market. They're branding kindle as an ebook reader. So when it comes to ebook reader, most of the folks don't look for android tablet but they go for either kindle or nook. Ofcourse this doesn't apply to skeptical buyers and techies, they find tablets with multiple use. This is not the case for many people out there.

[zridling]

Think I'll wait until tablets get quad-core before diving in. Not that I have the money anyway! 

[rxantos]

One thing I do not like avout the advertisement of the kindle fire is that is shown as larger than the kindle 3. When in fact is smaller.

I am glad I waited for seeing it live at target before spending money on it. I will be keeping my kindle 3G for reading. I do not need a smart pad.

Now the perfect device would be a large (capable of showing letter size documents) e-ink (so the eyes do not get constantly irradiated and battery last longer) device that is afordable.Bonus point if the e-ink is colored (I do not know if colored e-ink exist or not).

A pity that everyone is trying to make an iPad clone instead of a usable reader capable of eliminate the need of technical books on dead tree format.

[Lutz_]

Color? Yes!
Size? No.

http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/15/2638979/kyobo-e-reader-shows-off-its-mirasol-color-e-paper-display-on-video