Negative NYT Article compares Kindle Fire to the Edsel

Daithi · 12-14-2011, 09:39 PM

This New York Times article appeared a couple days ago. The first third of the article starts out by bashing the Kindle Fire. In fact, at one point the article even says

Quote:

All this would be enough to send some products directly to the graveyard where the Apple Newton, the Edsel, New Coke and McDonald’s Arch Deluxe languish.

Then the article tempers its criticism somewhat before reverting back into a fairly scathing critique.

SCION · 12-14-2011, 10:00 PM

Hmmm.... a four-star rating with 5,800 reviews is more meaningful IMHO.

jocampo · 12-14-2011, 10:07 PM

I still don't understand why people and tech writers keep comparing the Fire to iPad, I just don't get it.

carld · 12-14-2011, 10:13 PM

It's a really biased and badly written article. Huffington Post has a great rebuttle that shows just how bad it is. There's a link in Fire forum.

Kevin8or · 12-14-2011, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I still don't understand why people and tech writers keep comparing the Fire to iPad, I just don't get it.

Mmm hmm. From what I've read, most dissatisfaction with the Kindle Fire is the result of misguided expectations. People who expected a less-expensive iPad are unhappy. People who understood the Kindle Fire to be a glorified media consumption platform are pleased. Generally.

jocampo · 12-14-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Mmm hmm. From what I've read, most dissatisfaction with the Kindle Fire is the result of misguided expectations. People who expected a less-expensive iPad are unhappy. People who understood the Kindle Fire to be a glorified media consumption platform are pleased. Generally.

Agree,

But a review from someone who write technical articles everyday , should take that consideration, don't you think? They are what some people call... experts ...

mersfire · 12-14-2011, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Mmm hmm. From what I've read, most dissatisfaction with the Kindle Fire is the result of misguided expectations. People who expected a less-expensive iPad are unhappy. People who understood the Kindle Fire to be a glorified media consumption platform are pleased. Generally.

I second this as well. Admittedly, most users will want their products to "just work" which is where Apple does a great job. The Fire is sluggish many times, the touch display is either too responsive or not responsive enough, and this can make the device very frustrating for the general public that Amazon is targeting with this device.

Is it a great deal at $199? Most definitely. Is it a premium product at a non-premium price? Most definitely NOT.

I think my Nook Tablet is leaps and bounds better than my Kindle Fire and definitely worth the $50 premium, but it's comparing a 2nd gen product with a 1st gen if anyone is keeping tabs.

JeremyR · 12-14-2011, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I still don't understand why people and tech writers keep comparing the Fire to iPad, I just don't get it.

Because Amazon does? Go to Amazon. Search for an ipad. A link that compares the two is among the first results.

That the page even exists clearly indicates Amazon is trying to compete, but that they should it when you do an iPad search shows it even more

SeaKing · 12-15-2011, 01:51 AM

Amazon compared readers back in the day with the Kindle. Don't you remember the pictures on the beach where the iPad reader couldn't see the print well, but the reader with the gray scale Kindle read hers very easily.

Then the Fire came and of course it is LCD too so that ad doesn't work, but the cost factor comes even more into play since the Fire has color also.

Amazon isn't saying that the Kindle or the Fire will do everything an iPad will do but as far as reading, and media consumption a $80 dollar or $200 device will compare very favorably with the $499 iPad under certain conditions. These conditions are those that many "readers" experience.

I find it particularly entertaining that Amazon has been able to attack (and that is what it is) Apple on the size and weight of the iPad. Apple always likes to say it has the thinnest, and the lightest, and the easiest to use device, but the 9.7" iPad isn't that among readers. You can't hold it long in one hand unless you prop it up. You can hold a gray scale Kindle like a paperback book. The Fire is much more mobile (like the Kindle) with a 7" screen. Apple says that you need the 9.7" screen to gain the experience, the magic!!! Well some times you want a saucer and not a platter to eat your cake off of.

I think a lot of these technical writers and I have read many of them, not just the NYT one, resent that their prized (personal) iPad can be competed with by a "cheap" Amazon product. Right now there is a NYT front page commentary on how bad Amazon is for cutting the publishers out of the loop. In the past, there were bad articles about Amazon not paying taxes to support the heavy spending of Governments, and putting books stores out of business.

The NYT doesn't like Amazon in general.

Secondly, sometimes the important writers get complimentary devices to "test" and as long as their "results" are favorable to a particular company's devices, that stream of devices will be more likely to continue.

ATDrake · 12-15-2011, 02:18 AM

So… if the Kindle Fire is the Edsel, does that mean that the iPhone 4 is the Pinto?

greencat · 12-15-2011, 02:32 AM

The Kindle Fire, while it ain't perfect, is nowhere near as bad as some of those comparisons. The good news is that the most serious stuff is fixable in software.

Sweetpea · 12-15-2011, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I still don't understand why people and tech writers keep comparing the Fire to iPad, I just don't get it.

Because everybody does it? Soon, everybody will also start comparing apples with pears. They look alike, so they must be alike, right?

A new tablet is on the market! It's a 5", let's compare it with the almost 10" Ipad! And then complain that you can't read that PDF as well because the screen is too small, while that PDF is perfectly readable with the Ipad...

tubemonkey · 12-15-2011, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Mmm hmm. From what I've read, most dissatisfaction with the Kindle Fire is the result of misguided expectations. People who expected a less-expensive iPad are unhappy. People who understood the Kindle Fire to be a glorified media consumption platform are pleased. Generally.

If the Fire had a card slot, I would've picked up one. Less than 8GB of storage and no way to expand it on a video device is a deal breaker.

Sweetpea · 12-15-2011, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

If the Fire had a card slot, I would've picked up one. Less than 8GB of storage and no way to expand it on a video device is a deal breaker.

And that's where it actually can be compared with the Ipad

Phogg · 12-15-2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

If the Fire had a card slot, I would've picked up one. Less than 8GB of storage and no way to expand it on a video device is a deal breaker.

+1 for me

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12-14-2011, 10:00 PM	#2
SCION Séduisant Posts: 4,706 Karma: 2107018 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Texas, USA Device: Boox Note Air2+; Kobo Libra2; Kindle Scribe, Oasis3; iPad Mini6	Hmmm.... a four-star rating with 5,800 reviews is more meaningful IMHO.

12-14-2011, 10:07 PM	#3
jocampo Layback feline Posts: 3,034 Karma: 6980745 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Oasis 2nd gen, Sony DPTS1, iPad Pro 10.5"	I still don't understand why people and tech writers keep comparing the Fire to iPad, I just don't get it.

12-14-2011, 10:13 PM	#4
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	It's a really biased and badly written article. Huffington Post has a great rebuttle that shows just how bad it is. There's a link in Fire forum.

12-15-2011, 01:51 AM	#9
SeaKing Frequent Flier Posts: 1,282 Karma: 2058993297 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: KB kindle aboard, Galx Tab 7.0 Plus, trying out Droid 1 as mini-tab	Amazon compared readers back in the day with the Kindle. Don't you remember the pictures on the beach where the iPad reader couldn't see the print well, but the reader with the gray scale Kindle read hers very easily. Then the Fire came and of course it is LCD too so that ad doesn't work, but the cost factor comes even more into play since the Fire has color also. Amazon isn't saying that the Kindle or the Fire will do everything an iPad will do but as far as reading, and media consumption a $80 dollar or $200 device will compare very favorably with the $499 iPad under certain conditions. These conditions are those that many "readers" experience. I find it particularly entertaining that Amazon has been able to attack (and that is what it is) Apple on the size and weight of the iPad. Apple always likes to say it has the thinnest, and the lightest, and the easiest to use device, but the 9.7" iPad isn't that among readers. You can't hold it long in one hand unless you prop it up. You can hold a gray scale Kindle like a paperback book. The Fire is much more mobile (like the Kindle) with a 7" screen. Apple says that you need the 9.7" screen to gain the experience, the magic!!! Well some times you want a saucer and not a platter to eat your cake off of. I think a lot of these technical writers and I have read many of them, not just the NYT one, resent that their prized (personal) iPad can be competed with by a "cheap" Amazon product. Right now there is a NYT front page commentary on how bad Amazon is for cutting the publishers out of the loop. In the past, there were bad articles about Amazon not paying taxes to support the heavy spending of Governments, and putting books stores out of business. The NYT doesn't like Amazon in general. Secondly, sometimes the important writers get complimentary devices to "test" and as long as their "results" are favorable to a particular company's devices, that stream of devices will be more likely to continue.

12-15-2011, 02:18 AM	#10
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	So… if the Kindle Fire is the Edsel, does that mean that the iPhone 4 is the Pinto?

12-15-2011, 02:32 AM	#11
greencat Freebie finder Posts: 907 Karma: 2046472 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Sony, Kindle	The Kindle Fire, while it ain't perfect, is nowhere near as bad as some of those comparisons. The good news is that the most serious stuff is fixable in software.