Quanta, the company that builds Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, has already shipped between 3 and 4 million of the devices. DigiTimes, which monitors hardware makers in Asia, reported the news on Friday. As if that wasn’t enough evidence about the potential success Amazon could see with the Kindle Fire, DigiTimes reports that production orders going forward are increasing.
The data from DigiTimes gains credence from iSuppli, which also reported news related to Amazon Kindle Fire sales on Friday. The research company estimates Amazon will sell 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets this quarter. If correct, Amazon will have leapfrogged sales of all other tablets based on Google’s Android operating system.
To be fair, most large tablets running Android use a special, tablet-optimized version of Android called Honeycomb. Amazon chose to use the Gingerbread version of Android, which is actually aimed at smartphones. Amazon created a custom launcher and optimized its own software for use on Gingerbread, making for a tablet-like experience that can even be ported to other 7-inch tablets.
The Kindle Fire isn’t for everyone who’s shopping for a tablet due to its limitations, but what it does, it generally does well. Consumers looking for a portable slate that has no monthly charges, but can be used for movies, TV shows, books, magazines, email, web surfing and third-party apps can get that experience for $199. When I checked Amazon’s site this morning, the Kindle Fire was the most popular tablet and the most wished for on the site.
No, the Kindle Fire isn’t an iPad, but it’s less than half the price and is backed by a comparable ecosystem of media and software. Perhaps that’s a recipe for success other Android tablet makers have overlooked when it comes to mainstream consumers, such as my wife. I bought a Kindle Fire and after just a few days, she claimed ownership and can’t seem to put the device down!
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“The Kindle Fire isn’t for everyone who’s shopping for a tablet due to its limitations.”
I keep seeing this line being repeated, but have yet to hear (read) a legitimate reason behind this assertion. Can someone answer what the iPad does that the Kindle doesn’t? And please spare me the “better app market” rhetoric because that’s entirely subjective.
Thoughts?
Brian, I was thinking of folks that want integrated 3G, the ability to expand storage (I know you can’t on the iPad, but you can on many other Android tablets), Bluetooth for wireless music/video, and/or cameras for video chat or recording images. The Fire is more of an eReader with many tablet features while the iPad is more of a tablet that can be an eReader, if that makes sense. Just my opinion; certainly arguable. For $199, I think the Fire offers 80% or more of the functionality of an iPad but at less than 50% the price, making it a good value. Same could be said of the Nook as well.
Kevin,
“For $199, I think the Fire offers 80% or more of the functionality of an iPad but at less than 50% the price, making it a good value.”
You hit it right there. When I think of how I use my iPad, I’ve only used Facetime once (to see how well it works), and never touched the bluetooth. Those things along with 3G are definitely nice, but aren’t must-haves for me and seem to be geared towards the more mobile/business user.
For Joe Blow Consumer, skipping on those features and saving $300 in the process is certainly an attractive option. And the sales figures speak to that.
“For $199, I think the Fire offers 80% or more of the functionality of an iPad but at less than 50% the price, making it a good value.”
That line right there shows that the Kindle Fire is very much an iPad competitor, too. It may not be a competitor in every single use of the device, but for most people it will be, which means it makes their decision to buy a $200 tablet over a $500 one a lot easier.
I bought both within two weeks of each other. The ipad can shoot video and take pics, edit them and create movies. It can compose music via garage band, and VPN with your computer(remote control it). It can videochat and hase professional drawing app which I use for work allowing me to also use dropbox to get those files to work. But in defense of the Kindle it has Prime, views Flash interactive sites fairly well, free apps everyday through Amazon, and the Kindle reading service built in. Plus the binaural speakers on the Kindle Fire sound Better than the iPad2′s when compared side by side. If I didn’t need the iPad2 for work, I would definitely just get the Kindle again. It’s sad that most of the tech reviews were not so nice for the fire ( NYT , WIRED ) They really aren’t the same device, but for most people the Fire would be the best choice. tip: As for the lack of fluidity on the Fire, here’s a tip for many android devices. Turn it off and on again quickly to kill resident apps ,and it usually perks up performance quite a bit. Even my iPad2 stutters from time to time.
Perhaps what makes these two tablets so great is what makes them so different from one another http://bit.ly/iPadFireBattle
Larger screen, Faster processor, better graphics to play games (if important). Next is personal preference. Closed OS (iOS5), semi closed OS from Amazon. We use iPad’s but I use ans Android phone. I did not like the “Fire” when I tired it at Best Buy. It reminds me of Blackberry. The OS was snappy and looked nice. The benefit would be all the Amazon stuff like “Prime”. Can’t get that on iPad. The Fire comes down to need and how well Amazon has done in marketing and positioning the unit. By sales, they are doing very well. Fire and iPad have same issue with using as an e-Reader vs. e-Ink. Can’t see to well out doors in bright light.
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I purchased both an ipad2 and the Fire within 2 weeks of each other. I am quite surprised at most of the bad reviews of the Fire. In truth they are not the same, but strangely with Prime and Flash on the kindle I find that I am using it equally as much. Plus not that I’ve even heard this before, but the binaural stereo ports on the kindle sound Better than the ipad2 when placed side by side.
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“The Kindle Fire isn’t for everyone who’s shopping for a tablet”
But it might just be right for those looking for a tablet to shop with. It’s a deferred gratitude vending machine disguised as a tablet.
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Man they brought that Kindle Fire out for a killer price compared to all the other tablets out there! Good move on their part.
My bf got me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I love it. It’s lightweight and easy to use straight out of the box. The first thing I recommend anyone with a new Kindle do is install the nook app. We got our instructions from http://www.kindlemad.com through google. It basically unlocks all the Android marketplace apps and unlocks the device. Super happy!
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