The Amazon Kindle Fire
When Amazon announced the Kindle Fire tablet a few months back I became very curious as to how this new device would fit in the market currently dominated by the Apple iPad. Steve Jobs, in 2009, stated that the iPad sits between a smartphone and a computer. The question I have is where then does the Kindle Fire tablet sit in this market?
The first thought I had was that Amazon had wisely chosen NOT to take on the iPad directly in competition. They did this by offering a $199 price point, leveraging their significant Amazon platform and focusing on the features that make a tablet so enjoyable to use.
The Kindle Fire offers fast web browsing, movies, music, apps and of course a beautiful book reader. These are the features that anyone who buys a $200 dollar tablet considers a great value. The iPad starts at $499, making the Kindle Fire almost 60% less. The Amazon store is a significant platform in regards to music, movies, TV shows and of course eBooks. The weakest part of the platform is that the App selection is much smaller compared to Apple’s App store. For this price point the main features that consumers are looking for seem to be addressed. No, it does not offer 3G or have a camera but these might not be essential, time will tell. What it does offer is a compelling tablet product that actually sits between a smartphone and the Apple iPad.
At Pad and Quill we recognize this unique product and how it may fit into the tablet eco system in the future. Therefore we are now offering a beautiful bonded leather case for Kindle Fire called the Fire Keeper. A beautiful moleskine-like book bindery case, handmade right here in Minneapolis. The Fire is trying to find its place in this world and we highly recommend you protect it with one of our unique handmade cases.
