iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire – Who’s Killing Who in the Tablet Business

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Amazon announced the Kindle Fire today, an Android tablet that looks nothing like any of the current Android tablets out there, and a device that was never supposed to become an iPad killer per se. Amazon is adopting a different strategy apparently, even if that means taking an initial loss on every Fire sale, pun totally intended.

But if successful the Kindle Fire will probably be followed by better and better devices that will be able to take on better and better Apple tablets. Could, in time, the Kindle Fire become a true iPad rival? Will Amazon boldly go where others failed before?

In the mean time we’ll be thoroughly comparing the iPad 2 with the new Kindle Fire.

Hardware: Apple iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire

• Height: 9.50 inches (241.2 mm) vs 7.5 inches (190 mm)
• Width: 7.31 inches (185.7 mm) vs 4.7 inches (11.4mm)
• Depth: 0.34 inch (8.8 mm) vs 0.45 inches (0.45 mm)
• Weight: 1.33-1.35 pounds (601-613 g) vs 14.5 ounces (413 g)
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology vs 7-inch multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi) vs 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating vs N/A
• 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 CPU vs undisclosed dual-core processor
• 16/32/64GB of memory vs 8 GB + free cloud storage for all Amazon content
• Wi-Fi vs Wi-Fi
• 3G – on some models vs N/A
• Bluetooth vs N/A
• HD back camera, still camera with 5x digital zoom vs N/A
• VGA Front-facing video camera, VGA still camera vs N/A
• 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium polymer battery vs N/A
• Up to 10 (9) hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi (3G), watching video, or listening to music vs up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off
• 30-pin dock connector vs does not require physical hookup with computer
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack vs 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• built-in speaker vs built-in speaker
• microphone vs N/A
• Three-axis gyro vs N/A
• Accelerometer vs N/A
• Ambient light sensor vs N/A
• Digital Compass vs N/A
• Requirements: Mac or PC with USB 2.0 vs None, because it’s wireless and doesn’t require a computer (Whispersync support)

Software: Apple iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire

• iOS 4.x (iOS 5 incoming) vs custom Android version
• iCloud vs Amazon Cloud Drive
• Mobile Safari vs Amazon Silk

Content: Apple iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire

• iTunes Music Store vs Amazon MP3
• iTunes Video Store vs Amazon instant video
• App Store vs Appstore
• iBookstore vs Amazon Kindle

Prices: Apple iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire

• $499 to $829 (depending on storage and 3G connection) vs $199

Availability: Apple iPad 2 vs Kindle Fire
In worldwide stores since March vs coming to the U.S. in mid-November

There you have it folks, a play-by-play comparison between these two devices. Sure we don’t have all the hardware details about the Kindle Fire yet, but we’re soon going to learn more about its insides. What’s clear is that while Apple shouldn’t be afraid yet, all other Android tablet makers should watch their backs. The new Fire may sell as well as the HP TouchPad did a few weeks ago since it’s almost similarly priced. The obvious difference? Amazon will not cancel this device a few months after launch.

Would you choose a Fire instead of an iPad 2?