[daniel_solano]

I keep on hearing the question: is the Fire an iPad killer? Perhaps it's just me, but the two devices seem to have very different purposes. The Fire may sell as well as an iPad, but that doesn't mean it's an iPad killer. Was the iPad a Kindle killer?

[cooperadymas]

People seem to have an obsession with "iPad killers" and "iPhone killers." I remember advertisements for the Samsung Instinct tried positioning it as an iPhone killer. Boy were they wrong.

The only thing that could kill either of them at this point is Apple screwing up big time. Even then, they would be slow to die. Look at how many times Windows has endured through a major flop of a release.

My point is this: unless Amazon is really stupid (which they've shown they are anything but), then they probably are not attempting to release it or promote it as an iPad killer. It's other people that try to set it up that way. My assumption is that they are going after a section of the market that loves the idea of the Kindle, but wants more from it.

[jonnathanson]

I'm concerned that the Fire is getting a little too close to the iPad. It shouldn't be. That's a strategically scary place to go.

To your point, the Fire needs to be sufficiently different from the iPad. So different that consumers don't look at it and simply say "So...it's an iPad without native email?" Or some other rhetorical question to that effect. If people look at this device and think "iPad, but...", then the game's already lost.

[technoslut]

I think the difference separating the two will be price. I think the customer will understand that if you're paying only $250-300 you're going to get a lot less features than the iPad. I could also see the iPad 2 getting a price reduction eventually.

The Fire (lousy name) strikes me as the first true media tablet. I don't think Apple views the iPad as just a media device though it has been classified as such by analysts.

The problem for the Fire may be competing against the Kindle. Many people use an iPad along with the Kindle because of the e-ink display. Would a customer spend extra money just so they can play music and video?

[jrockway]

Aren't Macs "PCs, but without a replaceable battery"? They still seem to sell pretty well.

[maw]

Was the iPad a Kindle killer?

It doesn't seem to have been, but no few people were predicting that it would be.

When in doubt, I take what people who are paid to write about the tech industry say and assume the opposite.