Amazon says Kindle Fire HD has comparable screen, lower price tag than iPad
Internet shopping giant Amazon is taking the iPad head-on in a new commercial by pitting Apple's tablet against the Kindle Fire HD, suggesting the two devices have comparable screen resolutions, but vastly different price points.

While Amazon's latest ad offers little in the way of specific details, it does relay the message that the starting price of the Kindle Fire HD is $200 less than a similarly equipped iPad.
In actuality, Apple's iPad bests the Fire HD's display in both size and pixel density, with a 9.7-inch panel boasting a resolution of 264 pixels per inch. As noted by BGR, Amazon's tablet uses an 8.9-inch LCD built at a slightly lower-resolution 254ppi pixel density.
A report on Tuesday found that Amazon's share of the North American tablet market crept up to 7.8 percent at the end of January, making the Kindle second only to Apple's iPad, which garnered an 81 percent share over the same period.
Apple is rumored to be preparing a high-resolution 324ppi Retina display for the next iteration of the iPad mini, the company's 7.9-inch tablet that carries a price more in line with Amazon's Kind Fire HD.

While Amazon's latest ad offers little in the way of specific details, it does relay the message that the starting price of the Kindle Fire HD is $200 less than a similarly equipped iPad.
In actuality, Apple's iPad bests the Fire HD's display in both size and pixel density, with a 9.7-inch panel boasting a resolution of 264 pixels per inch. As noted by BGR, Amazon's tablet uses an 8.9-inch LCD built at a slightly lower-resolution 254ppi pixel density.
A report on Tuesday found that Amazon's share of the North American tablet market crept up to 7.8 percent at the end of January, making the Kindle second only to Apple's iPad, which garnered an 81 percent share over the same period.
Apple is rumored to be preparing a high-resolution 324ppi Retina display for the next iteration of the iPad mini, the company's 7.9-inch tablet that carries a price more in line with Amazon's Kind Fire HD.
Comments
While Amazon's latest ad offers little in the way of specific details, it does relay the message that the starting price of the Kindle Fire HD is $200 less than a similarly equipped iPad.
That's the only message that any of these fools ever push. Same with Dell, HP, and that lot. "It's cheaper. Shut up and buy our stuff instead."
Because they do, and it does.
How is this news?
Amazon is winning the race to the bottom of the not-quite-9.7" tablet market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cash907
Because they do, and it does.
How is this news?
AppleInsider will combine a few molehills like this together and post an article stating how Apple is losing its "cool factor" or some such nonsense.
Might as well say that having an unexpected phone call from the wife is comparable to a weeklong vacation with her on the beach in costa rica.
Wait, there's stuff out there cheaper than Apple devices? STOP THE PRESSES! APPLE IS DOOMED!
On my iPad, I can get Kindle, Barnes and Noble and iBookstore books. Plus the iPad has a far larger selection of tablet specific apps than any Android based tablet. I guess they ran out of time in the commercial to mention that.
The car on the left drives to the store. The car on the right drives to the store. Cheaper does not mean better.
If it was up to Wall Street all luxury car companies should get out of the business because any of those higher cost vehicles could easily be replaced by low-priced Kias and Toyotas which basically do the same thing as luxury vehicles do. Wall Street's motto is "We'll happily settle for lower-quality products as long as you can sell a lot of them." Wall Street believes Apple is doomed because it can't have the largest market share due to charging too much for its products.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
That's the only message that any of these fools ever push. Same with Dell, HP, and that lot. "It's cheaper. Shut up and buy our stuff instead."
But they forget to tell you that there aren't many decent apps for these other competing products and when you get them there isn't much you can do with them.
Since Wall Street loves margins so much, how much is Amazon's margin on this tablet again?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Since Wall Street loves margins so much, how much is Amazon's margin on this tablet again?
When it comes to Amazon's margin, Wall Street doesn't give a shit, strangely. Wall Street also still doesnt get that Apple doesn't make a new product just for the hell of it, in pursuit of marketshare. Short-sighted, as always.
why do i feel like i stepped back in time?
Several problems with that.
1. Even at a lower price, Amazon is not selling twice as many. In fact, Amazon is only selling a fraction as many Kindles as Apple is selling iPads.
2. Even if Amazon WERE selling more Kindles, it's hard to see how that gets investors excited. Selling millions of tablets with a nice profit or twice as many at break-even or much lower profit? You'd think that they'd learn.
It just doesn't make sense. AMZN has far lower profitability and worse future projections yet they're trading at a huge premium in terms of every parameter - P/E multiple, multiple of assets, multiple of book value, multiple of sales, multiple of shareholder's equity, etc. There's just not rational explanation.
When I tell people about the virtues of buying an Apple product, they often bring up the matter of price. Even being the cheap bastard that I am, I fail to make that cognitive leap. Having only purchased Apple computers, I always figure that the price paid is simply what computers cost. Those $300-$400 computers in the ads don't register as computers to me.
Owning an iPad and having picked up a Kindle Fire, the ad pisses me off. The experiences and the devices aren't comparable. I feel the same way about Samsung products, but I recognize that as my own prejudice, since I, like everyone else, will subconsciously seek out data to support what I already believe to be true.
I know some people will see the commercial and believe the Kindle is a better buy. Good on them. Other people will know better. Good on us.