A Machine for Reading Books
Why does the Kindle Touch, a device with the sole purpose of allowing its users to read, have a touch screen? Tablets perform multiple functions so a touchscreen is essential. This is not the case for a kindle, however.
Kindle Fire - Full Color Kindle with 7" Multi-Touch Display, Wi-Fi
Amazon unveils the Kindle Fire (a 7” multi-touch colour tablet) for US$199, the Kindle Touch (a 6” touch screen E Ink Kindle) for US$99, and introduces a low priced, ad-supported E Ink Kindle for just US$79.
The the bargain basement Kindle will become a staple for users dipping their toe into the eReader market, while the Kindle Touch will be a nice upgrade for current Kindle owners. Finally, the Kindle Fire introduces a totally new product category, one that is cheaper than the iPad and current stock of Android tablets but ostensibly does just as much.
Personally I won’t be getting the Kindle Fire for reading purposes. My current Kindle 3 works just fine and the only reason I would upgrade is to get faster page refreshes. After all it’s just words on a page, you don’t need any fancy graphics for that!
There Is No Tablet Market: Why Consumer Experiences Matter
Challenge: Sift through Apple’s publicity materials on the iPad and see where it refers to it as a “tablet”. The iPad is not a tablet, it is a device that serves apps and other content. A dumb terminal.
Though consumers desire the iPad for the functions it performs, they want it more for what it is. Just as many preferred the iPod to the generic MP3 player, so too do they prefer the iPad to the generic “tablet.
iMessage: Biting RIM’s style and sticking it to network operators
While this is great and will be extensively used by all iOS users it is not cross-platform which means the appeal will be limited. FaceTime is a great product but it isn’t used all that much (outside of iOS users) since it is not cross-compatible. In contrast apps like WhatsApp have mass-appeal as it works on any device.
