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Apple iPad vs. Kindle Fire: What Apple's Tablet Has That Amazon's Lacks

The Huffington Post     First Posted: 09/30/11 12:17 PM ET   Updated: 11/30/11 05:12 AM ET

Turnabout is fair play: When we released the Amazon Kindle Fire's advantages over the Apple iPad, you had to know that we would return with the iPad's advantages over the Kindle Fire, right?

The Kindle Fire, which was announced by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a media event on September 28 and which will be released for $199 on November 15, is seen by many to be a major competitor to the dominant iPad. Whether or not it is an iPad killer remains to be seen, though tablet buyers will likely be choosing between the two this holiday season.

Below, check out our top 9 advantages that the iPad has over the newborn Kindle Fire (and then head back to our thoughts on what the Kindle Fire does better than the iPad):

It Can Connect To The Internet Without WiFi
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The cheapest iPad ($499) can't do this, as it's WiFi-only, but you can upgrade to the $629 16GB iPad for access to the Internet over a 3G network with a paid data plan. The Kindle Fire (of which there is only one model) connects to the Internet via wireless connection only, though future models may be equipped for 3G; on the same day that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the Kindle Fire, he also introduced a 3G-capable Kindle Touch for $150.
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Which are you more likely to buy this December: the iPad or the Kindle Fire?

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Turnabout is fair play: When we released the Amazon Kindle Fire's advantages over the Apple iPad, you had to know that we would return with the iPad's advantages over the Kindle Fire, right? The Ki...
Turnabout is fair play: When we released the Amazon Kindle Fire's advantages over the Apple iPad, you had to know that we would return with the iPad's advantages over the Kindle Fire, right? The Ki...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
MiaisAwesome
Live free or die trying
10:21 PM on 10/02/2011
Pretty soon tablets will have very minimal storage as all Apps, Music, Movies, TV Shows, etc will just be stored on the Cloud so I wouldn't use less storage as a reason not to buy a certain tablet.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sanders McGrillin
01:01 PM on 10/02/2011
Yeah.... I'm getting a kindle fire, I have multiple camera's already so I really could care less about that, I'm sure that more apps will be developed for Droid over time so that doesn't phase me... I have multiple computers some with professional graphics processing for 3d & video so I don't need an inferior ipad for the creativity thing..... Hmmmm..... Seems like a lot better deal to go with Kindle Fire, you get a nice price without all the extra crap you don't need since you already have 9 other devices that do the same..... I think i can hear ipads market share shrinking already......
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kinogod
word farmer
04:04 AM on 10/02/2011
Apple -- mini computer with thousands of apps that turn it into a musical instrument, photo processor, scientific instrument, game, painting device and on and on. The Fire is a plastic toy. Enough whith the comparisons aeech pee -- they are not even in the same category.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
markdolph
01:09 AM on 10/02/2011
The Kindle device will find a place in the market. It's biggest advantage over other tablets with the exception of the iPad is that it has Amazon content. As a direct competitor to the iPad, however, it has a long way to go.
12:30 AM on 10/02/2011
Great point on Kindle lacking accessories. iPad's accessory ecosystem adds more value to iPad. Also, the upcoming iCloud Photo Stream will enable iPad to charge as the ultimate digital photo frames ... http://stripedsail.com/blog/2011/09/27/miframe-turns-ipad-into-the-world%E2%80%99s-greatest-digital-picture-frame/
farleft1917
Nothing is new but only forgotten.
02:45 PM on 10/01/2011
I bought the Kindle $99 3g and I own an iPad. However having a direct link to the cheaper Kindle store and the latest e-ink screen (that can slip into a jacket pocket) proved irresistible.

Apple and its fans should worry far more about a Windows 8 (with a Wacom screen) tablet being able to run Adobe CS.6.5...Amazon is just going to make a lot of money providing books. The perfect stocking filler for the holiday season.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sarijj
Snarky people need not reply
10:37 AM on 10/01/2011
The Fire only allows readers to buy books from Amazon; this means you cannot search for the best deal on books you may want to read. This may be a great device for those who love all things Amazon, but for those of us who like choice, the ipad or Nook may be a better deal.
11:43 AM on 10/02/2011
Hey cool, I remember this fallacy from the original Kindle. Untrue.
10:25 AM on 10/01/2011
Larger screen does it for me. Larger is always better, especially when weight is not a factor.
09:44 PM on 10/07/2011
then get a cpu
09:45 PM on 10/07/2011
like a desk top or a laptop like the one you have now
Shenandoah1865
Alaskan American
06:49 AM on 10/01/2011
Kindle app is still in Apple's app store. Still works fine, you just can't buy books directly through it anymore. You can either do that thru Internet or you can buy books on your computer and load to your iPad when syncing. Not a big deal, just a bit inconvienient.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
04:47 AM on 10/01/2011
Does Apple own a piece of Huffington Post or what?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
CaptainObvvious
Calling me a liberal is a compliment!
04:46 PM on 10/01/2011
Get a clue... They ran an article the day before this one with features the Fire has that the iPad does not...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ogaraj
05:52 PM on 10/01/2011
take your own advice... not only does HuffPo constantly swoon over Apple, but it does so with fluff articles like this that do not present any valid points and skew the reality.
12:04 AM on 10/01/2011
I'm gonna buy one of each and then one more of each then one other of each and then once again one of each then I may have to buy each one of them again and FINNALY...buy them both one more time....God bless America...gimme more.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
chedet
Le Panda
11:37 PM on 09/30/2011
Who made up this list anyway? If someone buys Wi-Fi only Ipad, he too wouldn't be able to connect to the internet without Wi-Fi and there's nothing to be bragged about anyway for Ipad's cameras.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
CaptainObvvious
Calling me a liberal is a compliment!
04:47 PM on 10/01/2011
You have the OPTION of a 3G iPad and a crummy camera is better than NO camera. The iPad's cameras are intended for video conferencing not photography.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
PTerrys
03:40 AM on 10/02/2011
Fire is for multimedia consumption, not conferencing or creativity, so there's really no reason to put them in the same category, except because they are similarly shaped with similar components.

So are an xbox and a PC, and they are not in the same category.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tazirai
Society is not your friend.
10:52 PM on 09/30/2011
I could care less about the 900 million useless apps, I just want the thing that's at a good price and has flash support. Hi Kindle Fire.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
PTerrys
03:41 AM on 10/02/2011
Flash really is anachronistic at this point. Apple is correct on that point. It kills battery power and the world is developing beyond it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tazirai
Society is not your friend.
10:34 AM on 10/02/2011
But Flash is still prevalent, and MANY Websites use it, so I'll buy the device that gives it to me.
06:06 PM on 10/02/2011
And at this point, HTML5, Apple's replacement for flash, is worse on battery life, slower on computing, and isn't widely used yet. It will be one day, but really, stop repeating Apple marketing drivel and read up on things.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sanders McGrillin
01:04 PM on 10/02/2011
I'm buying one too! I have seen multiple people spend 600.00 on ipads only to have them break & not be used since they don't use flash and a lot of websites still support flash. I'm actually a flash fan because apple can't play it.... I hope more video is released in flash & I hope the fools who think apple is great decide that the kindle is better all around for its price & usability.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BillySOS
09:07 PM on 09/30/2011
For the price this is a wonderful device. I have an IPad2 and love it, but I'm picking up a Fire for Amazon content at a great price!
08:13 PM on 09/30/2011
#1 advantage of the iPad is the undeserved ego boost.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sanders McGrillin
01:06 PM on 10/02/2011
Ipad users remind me of that south park episode where everyone is driving the hybrid cars & get full of themselves to the point of smelling their own farts!!!! LOL
Ipad users create "smug"
ROLFLMFAO