I think it will get a larger version if the project continues long enough. It's a sweet spot for usability in much the same way 13"-15" notebook is a sweet spot compared to an 11" or 17" notebook.
The difference between 7" and 10" for Amazon is creating a product that is competitive to the iPad without being as costly. With the iPad already being priced so low it's hard to see how they could compete. I'm guessing they have plenty of 10" prototypes but need to lower the productions cost without lowering the quality for a given price point and getting their forked version of Android to be more robust than what we find on the current Kindle Fire.
I think that's the ultimate issue. Amazon is able to hit a much lower price point with a 7" Fire compared to a 10" iPad, so they pick up sales from the people who just can't afford or justify $400-500 for an iPad. If Amazon releases a 10" Fire, it's likely to be expensive enough that their main advantage (price) goes away. Similarly, if Apple releases a 7-8" iPad, it makes a big dent in Amazon's strategy.
Look at other 10" tablets on the market - they're all close to or the same as the iPad.
That video focuses on everything that takes you to the classic desktop which is not what Windows 8 about, which is fair but sets a very negative tone for the video. What I want to see is how apps that use the UI formerly known as Metro work and perform.
Though I am dumbfounded by two things:
1) No accelerometer support in classic desktop
2) No Metro for Office 2013.
Come on Microsoft....seriously? If Windows is going to have Metro, at the very least your other flagship product, Office, should support it as well. Idiotic.
EDIT: Maybe they think the online version of Office is sufficient, to which I again say: IDIOTIC. Showcase Metro to the world through your applications and set the standard. But this is classic Microsoft.
I agree to all of that, but MS' tablet strategy is even more confused than that. Look at the fact that they first announced their tablets as a product that they would sell and later backed off on that to make it sound more like it's a reference design. At this point, it's not even clear exactly what their plans are.
Size and weight are related. Bigger usually means heavier.
Size also has an affect on readability. Consider your typical newspaper. It's much larger than any pad currently (or likely ever) made. Have you noticed that they don't print the body of their stories the full width of the page? It's because when you're done reading one line, your eye has to travel back to the beginning of the next line. When that distance is very long, we wind up hunting around for the next line, which adds fatigue and breaks the flow. Part of the reason paperbacks are the size they are is because that's about the maximum width before it starts becoming a problem for most people. And the smaller size is simply easier to handle with one hand.
Advantage.
These aren't as issueful as you make them out to be. And while you can read your Kindle "during the day", we can read our iPads at night.
Did you read my explanations? Really? I addressed your argument already. (The same goes for resolution.)
You left off 'price' which seems to be the most important advantage from what I've seen.
Some of the other arguments are flawed, though. Resolution is no longer an advantage when compared to either the iPhone or the iPad.
And 'reading anywhere' depends on what you mean by 'everywhere'. If you mean reading in bed when your spouse is sleeping, it doesn't apply.
Comments
Originally Posted by EWTHeckman
Advantages of the Kindle e-ink readers over iPads.
Size
Resolution
I thought you said advantages.
Reading anywhere
Battery life
These aren't as issueful as you make them out to be. And while you can read your Kindle "during the day", we can read our iPads at night.
I think that's the ultimate issue. Amazon is able to hit a much lower price point with a 7" Fire compared to a 10" iPad, so they pick up sales from the people who just can't afford or justify $400-500 for an iPad. If Amazon releases a 10" Fire, it's likely to be expensive enough that their main advantage (price) goes away. Similarly, if Apple releases a 7-8" iPad, it makes a big dent in Amazon's strategy.
Look at other 10" tablets on the market - they're all close to or the same as the iPad.
I agree to all of that, but MS' tablet strategy is even more confused than that. Look at the fact that they first announced their tablets as a product that they would sell and later backed off on that to make it sound more like it's a reference design. At this point, it's not even clear exactly what their plans are.
Size and weight are related. Bigger usually means heavier.
Size also has an affect on readability. Consider your typical newspaper. It's much larger than any pad currently (or likely ever) made. Have you noticed that they don't print the body of their stories the full width of the page? It's because when you're done reading one line, your eye has to travel back to the beginning of the next line. When that distance is very long, we wind up hunting around for the next line, which adds fatigue and breaks the flow. Part of the reason paperbacks are the size they are is because that's about the maximum width before it starts becoming a problem for most people. And the smaller size is simply easier to handle with one hand.
Advantage.
Did you read my explanations? Really? I addressed your argument already. (The same goes for resolution.)
You left off 'price' which seems to be the most important advantage from what I've seen.
Some of the other arguments are flawed, though. Resolution is no longer an advantage when compared to either the iPhone or the iPad.
And 'reading anywhere' depends on what you mean by 'everywhere'. If you mean reading in bed when your spouse is sleeping, it doesn't apply.
Though I suspect that is going to change.