Amazon’s upcoming Kindle Fire is being scrutinized by the folks over at Apple. The Cupertino-based company think Amazon’s $200 Android powered tablet will actually help spur more iPad growth because “it introduces another level of fragmentation in the Android platform.” This is just a little surprising, after estimated pre-order sales that suggest that the Kindle Fire will not only be the most successful Android tablet to come out to date, but could end up to be the most popular one in the whole tablet market.
In an interview conducted by Barclays, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer, said the following:
“While the pricing at $199 looks disruptive for what seems to be the iPad’s most important rising challenge, the Amazon Fire – it is important to note that it could fuel further fragmentation in the tablet market—given it represents yet another platform. While compatible with Android, the Apps work with Amazon products. The more fragmentation, the better, says Apple, since that could drive more consumers to the stable Apple platform. We believe that Apple will get more aggressive on price with the iPad eventually but not compromise the product quality and experience.”
Honestly, these comments come off to me as not only fatuous, but asinine as well. I like Apple but it seems that their ego is getting in the way of their perspective. It sounds like Apple is already beginning to cook up some elaborate diversion from what the truth is. The Kindle Fire isn’t all about Android; in fact, Amazon is going to bring competition to Apple, as the Kindle maker is the only company who can legitimately challenge them on ecosystems. Amazon offers everything Apple offers when it comes to the cloud, entertainment (music, movies, videos, books, and apps), and hardware (with the Kindles) and oh by the way, they sell things — a lot of things.
Please, tell me if I’m wrong. For a little more color on the iPad versus Kindle Fire debate, check out this infographic.
[via BI]