After all the hooplah, jabs, hype and hyperbole leading up to its launch, the Kindle Fire -- which lends itself to so many failure puns, it’s almost as if Jeff Bezos is daring us not to buy it -- is not an iPad killer. It’s not even an iPad attacker.
That’s not to say it won’t sell like wildfire (I guess those puns go both ways) and that’s not to say a bead of sweat didn’t form on Tim Cook’s forehead right before he made the first of 27 calls to Steve Jobs on Tuesday. And until Steve started letting the calls go straight to voicemail, the conversations went something like this:
Tim: Did you see what Amazon released?
Steve: You mean the Kindle “touch”? We’re already suing.
Tim: No, the Fire! The Fire!!
Steve: Seriously? That thing?
Tim: But it’s only $199.
Steve (between sips of wheatgrass): Uh-huh.
Tim: What do we do?
Steve: You sent out the invitations, right?
Tim (breathing heavily): ...
Steve: So what’s the problem?
You see, the Kindle Fire is as much an iPad as a Hot Pocket is a Five Guys cheeseburger. It can’t hold a candle (last fire pun, I promise) to the iPad’s broad array of marketing descriptions--creating, printing, vital, ideas, facts, figures--and frankly, doesn’t seem interested in trying. When asked about its word-processing capabilities during demo, an Amazon representative matter-of-factly said, “Hopefully we’ll have multiple selections by the time we ship, in the app store, that’s the plan.” Hopefully? Does the same go for the mysterious email client?
Think back to the iPad announcement for a moment. Steve and Phil Schiller spent at least as much time showcasing its production value with a retooled Mail app and a specialized version of the previously-Mac-only iWork suite. Everyone expected the iPad to handle movies, music, books and photos with style and sophistication, but its “non-fun” uses were what made Apple’s tablet different; had Apple just released a pretty Archos with iOS, it wouldn’t have revolutionized the industry.
Kindle Fire, on the other hand, fits in your pocket (or so they say), gets around 7 hours of battery life (according to the same rep) and has 8GB of onboard storage (with no means of expansion). So when Amazon’s 7-inch, WiFi-only, multi-touch device that requires third-party support for anything other than music, movies, books and Web browsing--and has no photo support, let alone a camera--hits the market, its Apple equivalent won’t be the iPad. It’ll be the significantly smaller but equally talented iPod touch, which will already be on its fifth generation and likely priced to match (or undercut) the Fire’s impressive tag. And if the rumors are true, Apple’s clearing out its entire iPod line to make the battle lines that much clearer.
Amazon may as well have called it the Kindle touch.
chilicool
October 13, 2011 at 5:49am
I'm just curious what you meant by your comment, "And if the rumors are true, Apple’s clearing out its entire iPod line to make the battle lines that much clearer."? I'm a new Mac user and don't yet have my finger on the Apple rumors pulse.
Thanks!
Bownse
October 05, 2011 at 11:49am
>the Kindle Fire -- which lends itself to so many failure puns
Really? You had to reach that far to justify this blog? How quickly you've forgotten the taunts about the iPad name. MAXiPad? With wings? Yours doesn't even rank as a taunt and certainly degrades the quality of your contribution.
onionsaregross did a better job of commenting on the product itself and isn't even on the payroll.
Michael Simon
October 05, 2011 at 3:52pm
Of course I remember them. It's not a taunt because I wasn't taunting. I was merely observing that the name could come back to haunt them. Or not. Kindles Setting Holiday Wishlists on Fire works pretty well, too. I actually think it will sell quite well.
onionsaregross
October 01, 2011 at 1:46pm
I don't think you're giving the consumer the benefit of the doubt, and that $199 price point is much more important than you might think. The most common reason I hear for someone not buying an iPad is that it costs too much. Couple that with the fact that "Kindle" is a household name (much easier to swallow than all the names that current tablet manufacturers are coming up with) and that the iPad itself seems like a daunting investment to many buyers and this Kindle Fire stands to move a lot of units.
Sure, we don't know how well the Amazon apps will fare, but again you're not giving third party developers any credit. I imagine that there are a lot of great developers out there chomping at the bit to give Apple a run for its money. Look at all the incredible third party apps in the App Store now. Not to mention the existing Android apps that integrate nicely with, say, the Amazon Music Store, and can probably be easily converted to be compatible with the Kindle Fire. Also, consider that the Amazon Music Store is offering a year of unlimited cloud mp3 storage for $20 that will stream directly to the Fire - much more generous than current iCloud offerings. And what happens if they get the Netflix app? Users wouldn't even need to pay for Amazon Prime at that point.
Think of it like this: would I use a mail client that's maybe not great (or just browse to gmail.com), or a third-party text editor, or give up a camera (which, chances are, is already on my smart phone) to save $300? Absolutely. Heck, a family could buy three Kindle Fires for the price of a 32GB Wi-Fi iPad!
Don't get me wrong here - I've been all-Apple since 2006, and I own a first generation iPad and love it. But that doesn't mean that someone out there isn't going to love the Kindle Fire as well. I don't think that people are going to turn to the iPod Touch - because if they were going to buy one, they already have. People are going to buy the Fire because they want to get in on this whole "tablet" thing without breaking the bank. Plus, reading books on the iPod touch is a pain :)
As to whether or not the Kindle Fire will take the #1 tablet spot - who knows. To really make a dent Amazon's going to have to sell two or three Fires for every iPad. But it's definitely possible.
Michael Simon
October 02, 2011 at 10:37am
I actually think the Kindle will sell well--I just don't think it will be at the expense of the iPad. It's a neat device--I actually preordered one--but it's more of an iPad companion than a replacement. Plus, Apple has more flexibility with price, so if there's any noticeable cannabilization, a $100 price drop would go a long way.
brandonwalkermedia
September 30, 2011 at 10:20pm
NO!!! & anyone crazy enough to have to ask the question should not be writing for MacLife!
