Amazon's Kindle Fire Tablet Half the Price of Apple's iPad
Posted on Oct 02, 2011
On September 28, 2011, Amazon announced its first true tablet, the Kindle Fire. The Fire differs from the original Kindle in that it features a full-color display with video capability; the original kindle uses E-ink (electrophoretic ink) that settles for only grayscale color but massive battery life, perfect for use as a reading device.
The Fire is Amazon's first foray into the emerging tablet market, and with its 7-inch color display, Wi-Fi capability, and access to Amazon's vast media library, the Fire can only be considered a serious competitor to the iPad. While the iPad may offer features that the Fire does not provide, such as 3G coverage, Apple-specific applications, and a camera, the Fire makes up for these shortcomings in a major way - price.
The Kindle Fire sells for a meager $200. The Apple iPad starts at $499 for a base iPad, although the base model still trumps the Kindle Fire in nearly all technical categories.
Amazon seems to be hedging its bets on an emerging tablet market that demands access to mobile video, internet browsing, and streaming media by releasing a cheaper alternative to the iPad with fewer features.
The Kindle Fire runs on an Amazon-specific version of Google's Android operating system.
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