The Tablet Wars

[AQ_OC]

I've a big Amazon.com user and obviously a user of Apple products. I consider myself a fan of both companies. But the holiday season is driving people nuts, apparently. Today, on their home page, Amazon is outright lying by saying the iPad mini has

1) a standard definition, low-resolution screen.
2) No movies movies or TV on an iPad mini

On item 1, a 1024 x 768 screen is indeed an HD screen. 720p is HD, not standard definition (480p). It is hard to even argue that 1080p on a tiny tablet screen is even worth the trouble as most people will never be close enough to the screen to see the extra detail. Those pixels come alive on a 67-inch TV, but no so much on a 7-inch screen. This notion is being greatly abused, IMO.

On item 2, no movies or TV on iPad Mini? So what is iTunes (baked in) for, what is Amazon own Instant video for, HBO go, Netflix, abc, hulu, etc. Indeed, iPad probably has the greatest ability to movies and TV of any tablet.

I not saying that Amazon's tablets are bad. I like they fact that they are releasing HD tabs and I may still get one (but I'm not a fan of movie watching on a tablet and their thick skin over Android is not my preference for a tablet, the Google Nexus will likely win my money). I do like the fact that they produce greater volume, as many tablets, including the iPads, just don't get very loud. I'm dubious of the claim of stereo sound when the speakers are so close together, though, and I think this is another somewhat useless spec on a tablet.

I think Amazon tablets have a lot going for them for those who just want to consume their content (I've been a Prime member from the first day it was introduced), but I don't see why they need to lie and try to take advantage of lack of knowledge on the part of their customers. Are they feeling pressure against iPad? I thought Apple did a good job to leave room for Amazon (and others) to sell its (their) wares, so when all is said and done, the lower price will win the day for a lot of people over the holidays.

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[MattIM]

I ordered the Kindle Fire HD tablet. It will be delivered November 20th, 2012. This is my first adventure with a non-iPad. Since I have a lot of iPads to contrast and compare, I can't wait to see the difference.

[Kaykaykay]

I ordered the Kindle Fire HD tablet. It will be delivered November 20th, 2012. This is my first adventure with a non-iPad. Since I have a lot of iPads to contrast and compare, I can't wait to see the difference.

Which one did you order?

The delivery window for my 8.9" 64GB Fire isn't till Nov. 28-Dec. 3. At this rate my iPad 4 will arrive first.

I'm keen to try out my new Fire. I have a Kindle Fire original, so I have an idea of what to expect. But I'm really looking forward to more flexibility with more storage, and having a cellular connection on the new Fire.

[MattIM]

Which one did you order?

The delivery window for my 8.9" 64GB Fire isn't till Nov. 28-Dec. 3. At this rate my iPad 4 will arrive first.

I'm keen to try out my new Fire. I have a Kindle Fire original, so I have an idea of what to expect. But I'm really looking forward to more flexibility with more storage, and having a cellular connection on the new Fire.

My bad, when I ordered the Kindle Fire HD 4G 8.9" tablet, it stuck in my mind what the Amazon website stated something like "available after 11/20/12". So I checked my email and found a delivery date range of 11/28 to 12/04/12, as you have stated. Oh well.

[Kaykaykay]

My bad, when I ordered the Kindle Fire HD 4G 8.9" tablet, it stuck in my mind what the Amazon website stated something like "available after 11/20/12". So I checked my email and found a delivery date range of 11/28 to 12/04/12, as you have stated. Oh well.

Thanks. I was wondering whether maybe diff models were getting staggered delivery, like with iPad.