JP Morgan: Kindle Fire is 'noise,' won't compete with Apple's iPad 2
“The Kindle Fire’s 7-inch screen, coupled with the absence of a camera, GPS and microphone, were listed as shortcomings when compared to similar devices such as the iPad. And because the device also lacks 3G connectivity, Moskowitz believes it could be a hybrid device leading the way for a more full-featured device.”
Ironically, these happen the be the features I use less on my iPad 2.
Camera/Microphone: I use FaceTime maybe once a week and while a camera is the reason I waited for the iPad 2 to come out before jumping on the iPad bandwagon, I must say it’s the feature I use the least. Also, the iPad’s photo camera sucks, big time.
GPS: I have the non-3G iPad, so no GPS. When I need GPS, I use my iPhone or a stand-alone unit in my car.
3G: Never really needed it. Could’ve come handy a few times, but not worth the additional cost.
That said, since the Fire is a more portable tablet it would definitely benefit from continuous connectivity, GPS and a camera. Why? Location-based, immersive, browsing: point the camera somewhere and get instant information laid out on top of the camera view.
A “pocketable” tablet needs these even more than the large iPad. But I still think the Fires will sell really well. I’d love to see the Amazon Cloud infrastructure woven into the iPads as well, but it seems we’re headed towards a one tablet per cloud vendor (OTxCV?) world.
