Amazon’s announcement of the Kindle Fire underwhelmed me and apparently many others. Bill Shope of Goldman Sachs wrote “We continue to believe that Apple’s thriving app ecosystem provides it with a critical source of competitive advantage in tablets, and the Kindle Fire does not seem to be targeting this strength. Indeed, Amazon’s tablet business model would suggest that a lower-end market is forming for users that need a dedicated media consumption platform, with limited compute capabilities. As such, this seems to be more of a high-powered e-reader approach rather than a tablet that is capable of replacing a PC or an iPad.”

While the price is super aggressive, the capabilities seem to match the price – low. Its small screen and limited web browsing, as well as an unknown ability for app expansion, match well with the existing Kindles. I like its network connectivity and the color screen. My Kindles generally have a battery life measured in many weeks. Color backlit screens have severely limited battery life.

I am a bit surprised at this offering. I expected Amazon , which certainly has the marketing muscle, the content, and evident hardware build capability, to mount a better charge at the iPad. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad. Just looking for reasonable competition.
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