Amazon's latest tablet Kindle Fire 2 HD becomes available this Friday- but that's the 7 inch tablet, the larger version ships November 20. Unfortunately, we don't have such specificity regarding Apple's rumored iPad Mini. But the knocks on the corridor say that the miniature iPad should be out in late October or early November in time for the holidays.
So which one will it be? Which tablet will be on everyone's wish list this season? Most speculators say it will be the iPad Mini, but the nature of the market always a certain degree of unpredictability. With the latest rumors that Google might be lowering the price of Nexus 7 to $99 and solid reviews for Amazon's Kindle Fire 2 it might be a tricky assessment to make.
Here are few things to keep in mind about the iPad Mini and Kindle Fire 2:
1) Apple v. Amazon: It is not much of a secret that Apple name-brand has a huge fan following, Amazon too has its share of loyal customers.
2) Price: The Kindle Fire 2, 7 inch sells for $199 and the 8.9-inch for $ 299. The iPad sells at a starting price of $499 and highest range is $699, depending on the gigabytes. The iPad is available in 16Gb, 32GB and 64GB. The iPad Mini is said to range between $249 and $299 at a basic capacity of 16GB. It is still unclear whether the model will be available in higher GB. Ewan Spencer of Forbes.com said, "From the evidence today, I'd expect to see a 16GB iPad Mini with Wi-Fi connectivity to launch at $299, with a 32GB model at $399, and a 64GB model at $499." So its inexpensive price tag is likely to make it a hot-item on the gift list.
3) Tablets are in! Who doesn't want a tablet, the Kindle Fire by Amazon and Samsung Tablets are all very popular holiday gifts. The iPad Mini will be competing with these tablets and it is already established that Apple aficionados are likely to prefer the company's mini-affordable tablet over the other options - Or could that be an exaggeration?
So far what we know about the iPad Mini is that it will have Wi-Fi, a new array of applications, better Facebook and Google Map integration. According to a Forbes article the basic storage capacity of the iPad Mini will likely be 16 GB. The tablet will also have a lightning' 8-pin dock connector and Apple's popular Siri. There is a general consensus that the iPad Mini will have Apple's new operating system, iO6. There is also talk about Apple's very own music service, something analogous to Pandora Radio.
According to reviews for Amazon's tablet, the latest Kindle Fire is better than its predecessor. According to ABC, the new tablet outdoes the first one in terms of color accuracy, battery life, size (8.9 inch), memory and performance. "The Amazon Kindle Fire HD may not meet the company's goal of creating 'the best tablet at any price,' our tests suggest. But it's a fine performer that improves markedly on the first-generation Fire," according to the site.
Remains to be seen which tablet will top the market, shall we say let the best tablet win?
