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Originally Posted by HarryT
With respect, David, I think you've misrepresented the issue. Most of the "attacks" are coming from people who are criticising the Kindle but have no experience of using one.
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Originally Posted by HarryT
Definitely. I totally agree with you there. It was the eInk Kindles that I was specifically referring to. The lack of any form of external card storage on the Fire is an issue.
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You know this is posted in the android subforum, right? With that context, I assure you, I haven't misrepresented what I've read.
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Originally Posted by HarryT
The device is being sold at a break-even price point - perhaps even at a loss - because the expectation is that the user will buy content from Amazon.
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I suspect Amazon's next tablet will have a card slot, and I suspect it won't be sold at a profit either. The two planned tablets were nicknamed the Coyote and Hollywood months ago, the fire is the coyote, and the Hollywood is higher end, 10", supposedly even quad core, and made by Amazon's normal hardware partner. They delayed it to next year last I read.
I actually believe they nixed the slot, not to prevent you from sideloading content, but to obfuscate OS hacks. I really don't think my HTPC recordings are a threat to Amazon's Video/Music/App combination, and I don't even think they think it is. However, were I load cyanogen mod or the like, I might or might not reinstall Amazon's portals thereafter (I personally would, but you know, the hypothetical hacker). At a $200 pricepoint w/ a dual core processor, the fire might have become the new favorite device to hack (as opposed to the B&N Nook color). It still might, but not having an sd card affects both hackers and users of hacks. Lots of NC users start by booting off the SD card to try things out before graduating to voiding their warranty.
The Hollywood will be pricier, and thus have it's own built-in deterrent to becoming the most popular hacker target. Hopefully, Amazon won't take any more extreme stance against hacking than leaving the sd slot off their base model, because if the nook color situation has proven anything, it's that hacking brings more fame than it costs in content. Last I read, the nook color owned half the non-iPad market, and I'd wager only a minuscule percentage of those are booting cyanogen, while a much larger percentage made their decision to buy with some influence from ecstatic hackers and hack users giving it free advertising. Amazon may need less of a boost given their starting point, but the boost doesn't hurt.
Then there are users like me. I like the safety net of hackability, but am unlikely to install a hack without provocation. If the company stops supporting the device with upgrades, I can upgrade myself. I'm already firmly tied into Amazon's 3 markets and will remain a loyal customer, so they have nothing to lose if I ever go the unofficial upgrade route.