Consumers certainly turned their heads when they learned that the upcoming Kindle Fire was only going to run them $200, and now Apple are saying that Amazon’s tablet well help them shift more iPads. Wait, what?
Here’s the logic: the Kindle Fire will introduce yet another element of Android fragmentation, driving customers towards Apple’s stable ecosystem. Fair enough, although it remains to be seen just how big of an impact Amazon’s brave new frontier will have on app developers. Will the large volumes being shifted entice them to publish custom apps on the Amazon Appstore?
There’s also the bigger picture. Fragmentation is one thing, but price seems to be the sticking point. $200 for a tablet as appealing as the Kindle Fire, even with its closed ecosystem, is enticing to just about any consumer. Look at how well the HP TouchPad sold during the firesales in the UK and US. That could eat into Apple’s market share, as much as they want to say otherwise.
Price is something that Apple may have to worry about in the long run, but for now the Kindle Fire hasn’t even been released. We’ll wait for the numbers to come in before judging whether or not Apple should really be worried.
Source: Business Insider via Gizmodo
Leave a Reply