Last week, Amazon released their latest models for the Kindle Fire tablet series including a model with a bigger and a high definition display. Analysts have observed this a clear objective from Amazon of limiting Apple’s supremacy in the tablet market by releasing the product in Europe later this year. The release has put the prospective users into a dilemma of whether to wait for the Kindle Fire till November or just get the latest iPad right now. The decision, apparently, is not as easy it may seem because Kindle Fire 8.9”, as it is named, is not here just to make up the numbers.
Big Price Difference
Whatever the specifications and features may be, Amazon has got one over Apple in terms of pricing. The Kindle Fire, without the 4G feature, will be starting at $299 whereas the iPad model, also missing the same feature is listed at $499. The models including 4G from Amazon and Apple start at $499 and $629 respectively. With the price difference of over $100 atleast, Apple will find it considerably easier to attract customers on a tighter budget.
Design
As far as the physical design of the devices is concerned, Kindle Fire is only slightly shorter than the iPad – 9.4 inches to 9.5 inches. There is not a great deal of difference when it comes to the thickness and weight, they are neck and neck. However, the real difference is that the Kindle Fire is 16×9 aspect ratio device while the iPad has surprising a traditional 4×3 aspect ratio and the Kindle Fire is almost a full inch narrower than the iPad. If you’re planning to watch movies on your iPad, the decision won’t be a tough one to make.
Screen
The resolution of the big Kindle Fire is 1920×1200 with 1080p video playback and 254 pixels per inch. In comparison, the newest iPad has a resolution of 2048×1536 with 264 pixels per inch, giving the iPad a minor advantage in resolution. It has to be said that Kindle Fire’s screen could not be viewed first hand and iPad’s quality is known to all and therefore, you have to declare it as the winner when it comes to the screen.
Price Comparison of High End Devices By Both Manufacturers
Kindle Fire wins the no contest in the memory department as it offers a much deal when it comes to the price. If we only are to consider the high end models of both manufacturers, the iPad 3 having 64GB memory and 4G is priced at a monstrous $829 while the Kindle Fire is listed at a much economical $699.
Kindle Fire Excellent Audio Quality
Not much could be drawn from the processor specifications as the performance would be the real indicator, which of the Kindle Fire could not be tested. If you really are looking for a loser, it has to be the older iPad 2 which one would believe has been blown off the market. The Kindle Fire has come with integrated stereo speakers and some slippery new Dolby technology. You would expect that to beat the iPad audio comfortably.
No USB Port in iPad
Those of you who still can’t understand why iPad does not come with a USB port to transfer data should be getting in line to buy the Kindle Fire as I write this. For camera freaks, it’s an equally simple decision with the Kindle Fire astonishingly lacking a rear camera. I won’t go into the OS debate as that has been discussed time and time again and everyone has their priorities.
Final Decision is Yours
In terms of numbers and wins, the Kindle Fire takes out the iPad but obviously you want to base your decision on how you plan to use the device. For people concerned with price, it has to be the Kindle Fire but service add-ons can draw out more money from your pockets but Apple has often beaten such competition thanks to its overall ecosystem.
