I read through the article “Amazon unveils Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire tablet” from CNET News (cited
below), which gave the overview of Amazon’s press conference from September 28,
2011. The online retailer announce several e-book readers in its popular Kindle
line-up, including the Kindle Fire tablet, which many have compared to Apple’s
iPad. The price of the Fire—$199—is what really got people’s motors running,
and I thought the same thing when I heard the price point. Amazon’s strength is
in its ability to provide compelling content, and the staggering amount of
media that it offers through its online marketplace, video-on-demand, MP3 music
download service and Kindle e-bookstore (just to name a few) can really come to
par with Apple’s offerings. In this age of instant gratification and high
standards for media consumption, the Kindle Fire is Amazon’s gateway into the
mainstream tablet business, and I’m eager to see how it will compete with the
iPad and Apple sans Steve Jobs.
Reardon, Marguerite. "Amazon unveils Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire tablet." CNET
News (2011): 28 Sep 2011. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20112800-266/amazon-unveils-kindle-touch-and-kindle-fire-tablet/>.
I was also interested in the Kindle Fire when I found out the lower price point of $199. After reading a few articles comparing it to the Apple iPad, I'm still torn over which could be most useful for me. I think the Amazon Cloud service that's included with the purchase of a Kindle Fire (at least, I think that's what I remember reading) is the most compelling advantage that it will have. After watching the short video about Amazon's Silk browser, I'm pretty excited to see how it might shake up the way mobile browsing will be in the future. I'm definitely looking forward to November to see what the product reviews for the Fire will have to say!
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be a fight, that's for sure. Someone had to try and stop Apple, and Kindle seems like a worthy competitor. If their product performs how it's stated and their connections to new content and applications continue to increase then this could provide a great product for those wanting to stay on a PC based system. The tie-in to our new media class is simple; this tablet formula will be driving the way we communicate moving forward. So, all apps, social networking and new mobile devices will have to consider that laptops will begin to diminish and people will begin receiving and sending information on this, or a similar, platform.
ReplyDelete--CG