I wonder if Amazon isn't marketing the Fire incorrectly. As an actual e-reader, (book proxy) it is not as good as the e-ink versions. Glare- making reading in bright light difficult to impossible, short battery life making near daily recharging necessary, and some confusion on the part of new users about what is- and is not included in the ($80/yr after trial) Prime membership. It doesn't make a great tablet since Amazon chose to include minimal memory, no expansion slot and no camera(s). About all that the reviews can say is, "Fire is pretty good at the price point". I'm not exactly sure that's a ringing endorsement.
Still sitting on the fence and using my 'keyboard' Kindle and iPad.
Jim Ricks
I bought a Fire to compliment my iPad. The Fire is definitely a downgrade from the iPad, but I expected that. I think Amazon knows exactly what they are doing. They are going to sell alot of Fire's at $199. This will get people hooked up to the Prime Membership, which is will act like a funnel of $$ for them. I think alot of what is missing on the Fire is due to Amazon wanting to stay at the $199 price point.
Their ad for the fire says "Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser". They are pushing the tablet aspect of the device primarily along with the ability to function as an e-reader.
I believe Amazon will come out with a 10" Fire (to compete directly with the iPad) with all the bells and whistles if the current 7" model shows promise.
There is rumor that Apple is looking at a 7" iPad/iPod to compete in this small tablet market.