In a recent blog post, I wrote about my approval of the new Kindle Fire. I like it a lot! But immediately, I had people asking about the comparitive features of the iPad and how would I rate them. To be clear, the two devices are both tablets, and both aimed at consumers. But both have different focuses, and are clearly best applied to their given strengths. To explore this closer, I put together a short feature table below. Each of these items are just my feedback on each of the devices and their strengths. I own one of each, and am happy with both devices, but would use them differently, according to their strengths.
If you are looking at purchasing a device, consider what you are interested in using the device for and see which device leans towards the features you are most excited about.
iPad / Kindle Fire Comparison
 |  | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| eBook Reader |
10
|
7
|
|
| Web Surfing |
8
|
7
|
|
| Movie/Video |
6
|
8
|
|
| Music Player |
7
|
6
|
|
|
6
|
7
|
||
| File Sharing |
7
|
4
|
|
| Apps |
6
|
8
|
|
| Gaming |
6
|
7
|
|
| Size/Form Factor |
9
|
7
|
|
| User Interface |
8
|
7
|
|
| Performance |
7
|
8
|
|
| Typing/Editing |
6
|
8
|
|
| Battery |
6
|
6
|
|
| Price |
$199
|
$499
|
|
If you are interested in have a excellent ebook reading experience, web surfing, music playing (stereo speakers), sleek user interface and like small device size, then the Kindle Fire is in your strength list. If you are interested in watching movies, having a lot of custom apps usage, gaming usage, or want to take notes or data entry then the iPad is a strong device to consider.
What is also important to remember is this- the iPad and the Kindle Fire use the same essential hardware processor and architecture, but the iPad runs iOS and the Fire runs Android. The differences in iOS and Android propogate much of the technical comparisons of the two tablet- iOS runs more tightly and slightly better performance; Android runs with broader access to external connections (even USB ports) and file systems giving you easier access in such areas. Such technical considerations are not often important to general users, since apps are virtually becoming synonymous across both the iOS and Android platforms. But they are important to technical people and developers.
If you are user, use the device that meets your needs. Technical considerations are less the issue.
As with everything, utility is the king. At the price point of these two devices, it's important not to ignore your real functional requirements, since much can be saved (cost-wise) if you lean more to the Kindle Fire and it meets your needs. But if you must have the strengths of the iPad on your side, be sure you are ready to pay 2.5 times more for the Apple brand.
Kim Gentes