I want to get a tablet, but I’m on the fence about which one to buy - either an iPad 2, or a Kindle Fire.
At home, I’m all Mac, so an iPad would peacefully snuggle in and all would be well. However, I’ve got Amazon Prime membership, and with that, I can have access to a whole lot of free TV shows, but AFAIK, the only way to access that with a tablet is with a Kindle. There is, at least, a Kindle app for iPad, but it only allows reading.
I know I can get two Fires for the price of one iPad, but I want to buy this once. I don’t want to buy the cheaper option just because it’s cheaper, only to regret it two weeks later, but at the same time, I don’t want to spend extra money if it’s not needed.
Either way, I want a web and media consumption device that works without needing a data plan. Not looking for video chats, email or business apps.
The heart of the issue is what are you really going to be using it for?
The iPad’s screen is significantly larger than the Kindle (I know, 7" is not half of 10" but they’re different shapes; look at the difference when they are put together. The iPad is almost twice the size). The iPad has the potential to do a lot of different things that the Kindle Fire is totally incapable of plus bigger (potentially much bigger) onboard storage.
OTOH, if you just want a mobile entertainment center, there’s little reason to spend the extra money for an iPad except if you really want the bigger screen. The Kindle Fire is tailored for exactly the entertainment aspect of the tablet experience. It’s onboard storage is pretty tiny (8GB advertised, in reality more like 6.4) but comes with Amazon’s unlimited Cloud (well, unlimited for stuff you buy from Amazon).
I would advise you to go to Best Buy or some other brick-and-mortar store that has Kindle Fires on display and mess around with one.
The Fire is attractive for the price (especially since you already subscribe to Amazon Prime), but you might be surprised on what you’ll start using a more full featured tablet for once you have it, and the iPad has that beat hands down.
I played with a Fire at Target, and wasn’t especially impressed. On top of that, the reviews I have read of it haven’t exactly been glowing. I love Amazon Prime, but I don’t think it’s video offerings are worth pushing the Fire over the iPad. (I’ve heard almost universal praise for the iPad 2.)
From what I read the Fire was not designed in house by Amazon. They were in a hurry to market, so they hired another company to come up with the design. This says to me the in house design team is going to take a look at what works and doesn’t work with this version, and will be coming up with something even nicer in the next version. (That’s just a guess based on speculation, though.)
I’d go to the stores and try both out to see what you think of the software installed and how it feels in your hands. But, my own opinion is that the iPad is a better product.
Wha? You have a device that you’ve had in your possession for at most one week, and you “never” touch it?
I’m not super-impressed with what I’ve seen of the Fire - the speakers are both on the same side, which makes video not sound quite right, and it can be non-responsive to ‘clicks’ occasionally. Then again, I’ve found iPads to be a little hokey, too. Maybe I’m just not a tablet guy…
I would second going to the store and trying out the tablets. One concern that I have with the 10 inch form factor is comfort when holding it. The iPad is very light compared to a laptop but is used differently; usually you hold it one hand and interact with the other. I really don’t find it that comfortable to use this way and therefore prefer the 7-inch form factor. So try holding the tablets 5-10 minutes at a time and see how comfortable they feel. In general I find that 7-inch tablets are just more comfortable to pick up, handle and carry around which is kind of the point of tablets.
A friend of mine has a Kindle Fire and hasn’t been particularly pleased with it. Getting connected to WiFi has been tricky. Occasionally it just doesn’t want to connect to the hot spot. He has to reset his router at home every time the Fire starts up again, because it won’t connect otherwise.
I’d say it was just something dodgy about his home network except I’ve seen it acting the same way when we were out to lunch with a public hot spot.
I agree that the ipad’s too-big-to-thumb-type size is a bit off-putting but if you’re going to be watching a lot of netflix or whatever on it, the bigger screen is definitely a plus.
Definitely evaluate the Fire’s speakers before deciding. The speakers on my nook color (1st gen) suck compared to my wife’s iPad 2. I do prefer the size of the nook (same size as Fire) though, but I didn’t buy it to watch video or for it’s audio qualities.
If you’re a long-time itunes user/purchaser I think the Fire would be a giant pain in the neck.
An iPad is a tablet computer. Fire is an enhanced ebook reader. Since you are already a Mac household, stay within the family, get an iPad. However, if you really want an ebook reader, and the ability to listen to music, watch videos and the occasional web surfing or using apps, get a Fire.
I have a Fire. Works great. As expected.
This. Just remember. Never, never, never ever buy from Best Buy. The store or online.
I went to Best Buy and played with the Kindle Fire. Nice little tablet. Good screen, easy to hold, but unable to try out the Silk browser as what BB displays is a demo unit. It took a second or two for it to realize rotation from portrait to landscape, and some books popped up upside-down.
Then, I went two aisles over and played with an iPad. Everything was faster. Web browsing felt as fast as if on my desktop, and Angry Birds was a whole lot smoother and faster than on my desktop. It sensed and rotated almost as fast as I could think about turning it sideways. And, call me an Apple snob, if you must, but overall, it just felt better.
So, I just bought one direct from Apple. Duckster - I don’t even like to go into a Best Buy to browse, much less buy.
I’ve updated iTunes and turned on wireless here, so everything will be all set for its arrival.
