By: Aseem Gaurav on January 5, 2012
After internet rumors ran rampant that Apple might launch the next version of its highly popular iPad next month, reports from AppleInsider and DigiTimes say that the price of iPad 2 entry-level version will drop from the current $499 to $399.
The speculations are further fueled by the fact that Amazon.com's Kindle Fire (along with other Kindle products) did amazingly well during the holiday season, which may result in Apple making changes to its strategy to compete against the iPad. Amazon had said the sales of Kindle Fire set new records as it sold more than a million Kindles per week during December, and millions of Kindle Fires during the holiday shopping season. Among the Kindle family, the Kindle Fire led the pack, followed by the Kindle Touch and the non-touch Kindle e-reader.
The apparent upsurge in sales may be due the cheaper price tag of Kindle Fire, which costs only $199 without a contract, much cheaper than $300 price tag of cheapest iPad 2 available, the 16GB WiFi only model. Although Apple’s highly popular tablet has large screen, Amazon believes the bigger is not better, as the Kindle family tablets are much portable and a 7-inch size is perfect of a tablet.
Analysts had forecast the sale of 16 million iPads during the 2011 holiday season, instead the device instead registered sales of 13 million units. However, Apple’s lower sales numbers were compensated by record sales of iPhone, which exceeded 29 million units, two million more than anticipated.
At the moment, Apple sells iPad 2 Wi-Fi only models: $499 for 16 GB, $599 for 32 GB and $699 for 64 GB. Apple has firm control over the higher end of the tablet market, but strong sales of Kindle Fire may prompt Apple to change strategies to maintain sales momentum.
Comparison:
After internet rumors ran rampant that Apple might launch the next version of its highly popular iPad next month, reports from AppleInsider and DigiTimes say that the price of iPad 2 entry-level version will drop from the current $499 to $399.
The speculations are further fueled by the fact that Amazon.com's Kindle Fire (along with other Kindle products) did amazingly well during the holiday season, which may result in Apple making changes to its strategy to compete against the iPad. Amazon had said the sales of Kindle Fire set new records as it sold more than a million Kindles per week during December, and millions of Kindle Fires during the holiday shopping season. Among the Kindle family, the Kindle Fire led the pack, followed by the Kindle Touch and the non-touch Kindle e-reader.
The apparent upsurge in sales may be due the cheaper price tag of Kindle Fire, which costs only $199 without a contract, much cheaper than $300 price tag of cheapest iPad 2 available, the 16GB WiFi only model. Although Apple’s highly popular tablet has large screen, Amazon believes the bigger is not better, as the Kindle family tablets are much portable and a 7-inch size is perfect of a tablet.
Analysts had forecast the sale of 16 million iPads during the 2011 holiday season, instead the device instead registered sales of 13 million units. However, Apple’s lower sales numbers were compensated by record sales of iPhone, which exceeded 29 million units, two million more than anticipated.
At the moment, Apple sells iPad 2 Wi-Fi only models: $499 for 16 GB, $599 for 32 GB and $699 for 64 GB. Apple has firm control over the higher end of the tablet market, but strong sales of Kindle Fire may prompt Apple to change strategies to maintain sales momentum.
Comparison:
Price | $199 $300 less than iPad 2 | $499 |
Screen | 7”, in-plane switching display | 9.7", in-plane switching display |
Pixel Density | 169 ppi & more than 16 million colors 28% higher pixel density than iPad 2 | 132 ppi & more than 16 million colors |
Weight | 14.6 oz iPad 2 is 46% heavier | 21.28 oz |
Content | Movies, shows, songs, games, apps, magazines & books from Amazon | Movies, shows, songs, games, apps, magazines & books from iTunes |
Breadth of Ecosystem | Most Amazon content can be enjoyed on your Kindle Fire and many other devices, including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows 7 phones, internet-ready TVs, Roku, TiVo, and through your web browser | Most Apple content can only be used on select Apple products |
Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere | With Whispersync, your book library, last page read, notes, and highlights sync across your devices and you can stream a movie on one device and finish it on your TV, without losing your place | iBooks syncs only on Apple devices - no sync for movies |
E-mail | Yes | Yes |
Web Browser | Amazon Silk, the cloud-accelerated web browser | Safari |
Flash Support | Yes | No |
Processor | 1GHz dual core | 1GHz dual core |
Storage | 8GB flash memory + free cloud storage for all your Amazon content so you never run out of space | 16GB flash memory + free cloud storage for iTunes content excluding movies |
Battery Life | Up to 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off | Up to 10 hours of mixed use |
Multitasking | Yes | Yes |
Wireless Capability | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
Speakers | Stereo | Mono |
Prime Instant Video | Amazon Prime members can instantly stream nearly 13,000 popular movies & TV shows at no additional cost | N/A |
Kindle Owners' Lending Library | Amazon Prime members can borrow from thousands of popular books at no additional cost | N/A |
