Analyst to Android Tablet Vendors: Team Up With Amazon or Get Out of the Game
With Amazon’s recent unveiling of their $199 Android-based Kindle Fire tablet, consumers are chomping at the bit to secure the device well ahead of its scheduled November release. In an already overcrowded tablet market, Amazon intuitively found a niche of consumers who weren’t necessarily ready to skimp on the specs, but would shy away from the competition- if the price was right.
One analyst recently published a report which actually warns Android tablet vendors to either team up with Amazon and offer lower-priced devices with Amazon content or simply get out of the tablet game altogether. Nomura International technology securities analyst Richard Windsor strongly believes that Amazon will dominate the cheap end of the tablet market with its new Kindle Fire, while Apple’s iPad will continue to dominate the high-end.
Windsor continues to explain,
“That other tablet makers with iPad-like prices are still living in denial. The main effect of the potential sea change triggered by Amazon could be a change in road map to cheaper products or possible tie-ups with Amazon.”
If existing tablet makers do start shifting over to Amazon content, it could potentially threaten Google’s strategy in the market, where it clearly wants its services to be as widely used as possible.
While Windsor may have valid points in his report, most tablet vendors are not ready to jump off the Android train completely. Tablet vendors are simply patiently awaiting the release of Android 4.0, known as “Ice Cream Sandwich” which is expected at the end of this year. Many in the industry believe the onset of Ice Cream Sandwich alone will improve Android’s competitiveness with the iPad.
Kindle Fire doesn’t have microSD slot that Nook Color has thus it is
stuck with 6 GB usable internal storage unlike Nook Color that can get
up to 32 GB card in. Kindles are made to be almost like a “dumb
terminal” of the past to make sure you’re tied up to Amazon’s storage on
the web (for which you need Wi-Fi connection to get to.) and you can
only store content you get from Amazon there, not other files and they
can spy on your web activities through the new cloud-integrated web
browser. Also, VERY IMPORTANT – lack of microSD slot means that if you
decide to root your Kindle Fire, you’ll have to root the actual device
thus there will be no coming back. On Nook, you can make it boot from a
“rooted” microSD card and if you want to get back to the original Nook
you can just take out the card and reboot. Nook Color still has the best
on the market anti-glare coated screen that is better for
eading/viewing outside.
B&N is rumored to be coming out with Nook Color 2 shortly that will
sure to have Netflix app among others (you won’t find it on Kindle).
Nook Touch is still better designed than even the new Kindle Touch with
battery lasting two months with ONE hour reading a day with Wi-Fi off
thus it’s still twice as long as new Kindle’s two months with HALF and
hour a day with Wi-Fi off. It looks like Kindle didn’t get any battery
improvement in the new model, they only changed the test condition.
More, Kindle Touch still flashes black on each page turn while Nook
Touch reduces the flashing by 80%.