iPad vs. Kindle Fire, take 2
Our very own Seth Clifford, he of the iOS and mobile design podcasts, took a second look at how Amazon's Kindle Fire stacks up against Apple's iPad 2, now that the Fire has gotten its first, much-needed software update.
As a nerd, the Fire is a waste of time for the most part. You're limited by the choices Amazon's made in the hardware and software, and getting stuff done around those choices is possible, but probably not worth your time unless you really feel like poking around. People have been hinting at how great a CyanogenMod build would be for the Fire, so you may want to go that route eventually, but then again, why not just buy another Android tablet if that's what you want it for? Surely if you're willing to hack to that end, you can save yourself some time with other hardware. But I guess there's the challenge too.
As a normal person, the Fire is pretty good. Seriously. The software update (which auto-installed minutes after I unboxed the Fire) made a big difference in responsiveness. Prior to that, half my button presses didn't even register and scrolling was pretty lame. If you're comfy with Amazon's selections, and you don't mind a few weird moments (like always tapping the screen to do everything), you probably won't mind it too much. There's plenty to do and it's laid out clearly for you. If you use the device in the manner Amazon has envisioned, you'll be fine. It's when you stray outside of that use case that you face some resistance. My guess is that most Fire owners won't make that choice.
Seth's far more forgiving than I. Too much about the Kindle Fire -- from the ill-position power button and the lack of volume buttons, to the laggy video, to the way the software is designed almost entirely as a giant front end for Amazon's e-commerce engine, to its bizarre lack of content outside the U.S. -- is like finger nails on a chalk board. It shows a lack of care and concern, and if they can't think this stuff through beforehand, I have little faith in their magically fixing it in the long run. Here's why -- it's Amazon-prioritized, not user-prioritized, and I value my time and sanity far more than the $300 difference between a Fire and even a base-price iPad. (Your use cases and priorities may be different, of course.)
Check out Seth's complete comparison for more.
Source: SethClifford.me
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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" to the way the software is designed almost entirely as a giant front end for Amazon’s e-commerce engine . . . it’s Amazon-prioritized, not user-prioritized"
I think it depends on how you look at it. If you look at it as a competitor for the iPad or as a tablet computing device, then you'll be disappointed. However, if you look at it as an advanced Kindle, more ready for newer content (color, for example) with a touch interface (way nicer than the physical keyboard) with some added benefits of audio and video, then it probably isn't too bad of a product. Then, add that some various apps nearly everyone uses could be added, will just make the deal sweeter.
Note, I haven't actually seen or used one in person, I'm just going by what I've read and from having used my wife's Kindle (I have an iPad). IMO, it makes a LOT of sense as a next-gen e-reader, so long as it isn't too heavy or hard to hold (my main concerns, and a place where the iPad utterly fails as a good e-reader at times).
I might well agree about the build and physical layout. Amazon isn't that great at that stuff.
I've used them a fair bit since launch and given one as a gift, as well as recommended them over iPad to several people. The comment you cited, "to the way the software is designed almost entirely as a giant front end for Amazon’s e-commerce engine . . . it’s Amazon-prioritized, not user-prioritized" is rather curious though. What, I wonder, does this person think the iPad is optimized for? It's a front-end to Apple's services--iTunes and the App Store. Those are where Apple makes its money and tries to lock the consumer into their hardware. At least with Amazon, you can move to any Android hardware you please and take most any app with you, as well as your music, movies and books.
From that perspective, I'd say Amazon is much MORE "user focused" than Apple is, because they leave the choice of device and vendor in YOUR hands.
Very astute observation.
Bought a Kindle Fire for my father in law, actually, and I have to say that I disagree completely about the usability of the device. The lack of volume buttons is, I agree, an oversight, but a minor one. The device is far, FAR more responsive than my iPad 1 has ever been, and I have yet to see "laggy video" on it (and yes, I've played with it a fair bit; in fact, he told me yesterday he's already watched the entire season of Legend of the Seeker on it and is very happy).
I agree there are some flaws, though. I dislike the carousel for the same reason I dislike coverflow: only one of the visible items is directly clickable, the one in focus. I also wish they'd have had the aforementioned volume controls as physical buttons, and should have included an SD card slot. I don't care about the camera at all--I have a perfectly good 5Mp camera on my Samsung Focus (which replaced my iPhone 3G and has been superior in every way save total numbers of apps), and if I really want to take good pictures, I'll use a REAL camera.
I can tell you this much though: the Kindle Fire is the tablet I would buy if I didn't already have an iPad. If it had been available at the time, yes, I would have chosen it over an iPad, and as a technology implementer who makes recommendations regularly, I've already steered several people toward Kindle Fire rather than iPad; every single one of them has reported happiness with their purchases.
Amazon didn't make the "perfect" iPad competitor, I agree--but they did a pretty damn good job, and it's clear they understood the most important element of all: an integrated infrastructure where the user can get all the content they want. That above anything else puts the Fire well above any other Android tablet on the market, and for most anyone who can't justify $500 to start with an iPad, it's also a better choice.
I own a Kindle Fire and disagree with most of the comments here. First and foremost, I use it for web browsing and for playing games. There's a decent selection of games on the Amazon App Store, and they play great. Of particular note, Asphalt 6 on the Kindle Fire is smooth, runs perfectly with good graphics. It's a much better experience than on my iPhone 4.
Obviously a Kindle Fire isn't going to compete with an iPad. That's like comparing a high end gaming computer to a normal $600 desktop. Going with that same analogy, is the $600 desktop a bad choice? In most cases, no. Most people are just fine with a cheaper desktop, as most people will be fine with the Kindle Fire.
Would it be possible to have a little more leading in these comments, please?
It's fixed in the next template update that should be pushed out this week. Sorry about that!
Did Someone forget that it is a KINDLE Fire, and that the Kindle is built to provide Amazon content? Seriously? The Fire is no more or less a front end for Amazon as this iPad Im typing on is One for Apple. I’ve given out three of them and every user absolutely loves it.
First three tries to post this comment unsuccessful because it previously had the name of a certain Editor in it. Wow.
Are you suggesting that typing "Rene Ritchie" will keep your comment from showing?
Putting the name of a writer in a comment will cause it to be held for moderation; it's a setting we flipped on after some fairly horrible, disgusting trolling started to be targeted at some of our writers. We check pending comments regularly, so the delay in any legitimate replies isn't long.
99% of the time the names of specific people shouldn't need to be included in replies anyway, since they're threaded and since we have a policy of avoiding discussing people and focusing on discussing the issues.
Why do you "nerds" keep comparing the Kindle Fire to the iPad? It's like comparing BMW 3 series to a VW Jetta. The BMW is more refined, but they both get the job done. I agree with opinion that the Amazon Launcher is a failure, but simply check the "allow 3rd party apps" option and install Go Launcher and you have a fully functional Android Tablet.
The Kindle Fire is not very good, sorry. I'm a technician and I work in electronics store (not an expert) but sold a lot of them over the holidays. I'd say like 75% of them were returned over the past week. Some defective, some the user just didn't like or think it was working correctly. I myself have messed around on it a bit and its very generic feeling. Nothing seems very smooth, video playback was laggy.. nothing seemed to be easy to find, typing was a pain. There are other tablets on the market at the same around the same price point that are way better then the Fire. Just my opinion.. just my experience with it.
i think everyone is making a big mistake to judge Amazon's tablet efforts solely by the V.1 Fire. sure, it's flawed. but there will no doubt be an improved 2012 model Fire that addresses many of the hardware issues, and certainly OS updates that address software issues too. (i would recommend people wait to buy one, tho, until that new model comes out.) we'll probably see a larger screen version too that is more directly competitive with the iPad, and cheaper of course.
so it's the potential of Amazon's ecosystem and business approach that matters most, even today. the ecosystem is still very limited. there is more to life for most people than just shopping. it lacks Google's excellent communication/social features, and Apple's fantastic range of integrated hardware/software. and the business approach assumes Fire owners will spend a lot more at Amazon than they would anyway - a very questionable assumption - to justify its subsidized price.
my thought is Amazon needs a partner, like Facebook for social or Sony for hardware or Nintendo for games, to dramatically expand its ecosystem. otherwise it will remain a reasonable popular but still niche product - like the Kindle.
I saw a kindle fire demo unit at Target the other day and while waiting around for the better half to do a Kindle trade in for the Touch, I screwed around with the device and even though I'm a heavy Amazon user myself, I was completely turned off. I played doodle jump on the device, a game that is not exactly a graphics heavyweight, and was stunned to see that items on the edge of the screen would split in half during jumps as the edge of the screen refreshed slower than the rest. Utterly ridiculous. If that's how it plays doodle jump I'd hate to see how it plays anything more intense than that. I don't know if the demo had the update or not but still, there's no point in an underpowered tablet.
The alternative to ipad that I'm waiting on is the new gen 9 Archos devices.
As a tech nerd I have had a blast messing with the kindle. added go launcher and good bye amazon skin, hello android tablet, added dolphin HD browser and mobo player and it flies with tabbed browsing and plays nearly any video file. for 200 bucks this thing is an absolute home run.
more comparision between kindle fire,nook color,ipad and other ereaders here http://www.epubor.com/comparison-between-kindle-fire-and-other-tablets-or-ereaders.html
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