PhoneArena awards 2011: Game-changing product

2. oddmanout (Posts: 443; Member since: 22 May 2009)

Couldn't have said it any better. The pricing of tablets before / even now is ridiculous. The kindle fire sets the tone for what should be expected at bare minimum for $200. I hate living in an economy where we pay hundreds of dollars for a product of no greater significance between what you'd expect from a low end product. Sure screen size and processor speed can play a role in the price but there is still hundreds of dollars on the price tag just lingering unexplained for some devices.

40. tomast (Posts: 50; Member since: 16 Oct 2011)

You do know that amazon is actually losing money on the kindle fire because it coasts more to make it than what there selling it for.

42. JGuinan007 (Posts: 692; Member since: 19 May 2011)

thats the whole idea they lose 15$ up front but recoup that amount in the app store when you use amazon app store

45. oddmanout (Posts: 443; Member since: 22 May 2009)

Yes I'm aware that the price of the device costs more to manufacture but don't be fooled. They aren't stupid and they're making plenty of profit from it. Its only about a $20 loss per unit but its made back easily through downloads and there's no telling what kind of discount they can be receiving. Most manufacturers offer some sort of discount for bulk orders and it doesn't hurt to have the amazon name backing them up. For all we know, amazon could be actually gaining profit for each kindle. Just because it costs more for the parts doesn't necessarily mean that they're paying top dollar for its construction.

7. Zayuh24 (Posts: 149; Member since: 21 Nov 2011)

I completely agree. Companies are making a HUGE profit on each device. The iPads cost roughly $350 each to make, so why not put the price tag somewhere along those lines? Same with Android tablets with comparable hardware. Companies will make a profit from downloadable content from the marketplace, purchased accessories, etc. anyway so why not lower the prices a little to open the door for more buyers?

That's my only bit of logic for it.

9. roldefol (Posts: 4365; Member since: 28 Jan 2011)

I'm with the crowd on the Fire. No single phone this year was a true market-busting game-changer, but in the tablet space offering anything for $200 is a pretty big deal. B&N came close last year with the Nook Color, but Amazon actually has the marketing clout to really shake up the market. This opens the door for more $200-400 tablets, and then watch the iPad's market share gradually decline.

10. iamcc (Posts: 1319; Member since: 07 Oct 2011)

People like quality without paying for iQuality.

12. gallitoking (Posts: 4721; Member since: 17 May 2011)

are you sure about that... look at the iphone sales.. ok..

13. roldefol (Posts: 4365; Member since: 28 Jan 2011)

Well, he didn't say how MANY people, eh?

People keep buying iPhones on their merits, but they also buy Androids on theirs, and for the sheer variety out there. Until now there's only been one major player in tablets, but the Fire changes that. As people see there are other options, Android tablets like the Galaxy can sieze the opening too. They just need to be priced to sell, which they haven't been to date.

18. gallitoking (Posts: 4721; Member since: 17 May 2011)

thats because Android wants to follow Apple.. Apple can price the the ipad2 or the iphoen at any price.. and people will still buy it.. (649.99 for a 16GB iphone4S) Android tried to priced their Zoom higher (more specs) and it didnt sold... you got to have brand recognition to do that... android is popular.. but so is Acne

25. roldefol (Posts: 4365; Member since: 28 Jan 2011)

The general public won't buy Android on name recognition. The name by definition is pure geek. Android is the Windows PC of today. We buy them because they're customizable, available at every price level and from many manufacturers.

Apple will continue to do what it has for decades now with the Mac, and that's sell limited product lines at high prices. They'll continue to sell well, even against competing products with more functionality, but they can't maintain majority market share. I foresee the same happening to them with tablets, starting with this Kindle.

46. speckledapple (Posts: 892; Member since: 29 Sep 2011)

That's that first piece of common sense I have read on here. It just makes sense that this will happen. Look at the PC market. Apple still sells macs, macbooks, and the like and they make great profit on each one because they control everything and price it higher. However, the market itself is not led by them. They may make some inroads, most recently because they can weather the recession better, but they will not be the market leader in the industry.

14. iamcc (Posts: 1319; Member since: 07 Oct 2011)

I didn\'t say people DON\'T pay for what I called \"iQuality\" i\'m just saying people would prefer if it was less...

19. gallitoking (Posts: 4721; Member since: 17 May 2011)

I agree on that with you

11. Zayuh24 (Posts: 149; Member since: 21 Nov 2011)

You don't do research at all before you comment, huh? The iPad cost $260 to make and was originally being sold for $700. The iPad 2 cost $326.60 to make, yet both are now sold for $400, $500, and $600 respectively. The point is to make a profit, yes, but we as consumers are being overpriced yet again because of Apple's greedy tactics. The Android tablets came in the game later and have to catch up in sales, so they're going to place their prices around the same tag as the guy ahead, if not a little less.

Apple realized their first mistake of placing the original iPad at $700, and cut the cost of the iPad 2 to $500 and $600. They know they're going to make a profit regardless of where the price tag is as long as its reasonable because they will make a killing from downloadable content and Apple-manufactured accessories.

In the economy today, people are willing to pay LESS for a product that does what they WANT, and Amazon is a trusted brand for downloads just as Apple is a trusted brand for products, so they will take the lesser of two punches and go with the lower priced one.

15. gallitoking (Posts: 4721; Member since: 17 May 2011)

look I have the ipad 2.. if you have the Amazon tablet then we can debate.. but if you dont and only based on paper.. then buy the kindle or find someone that has it.. so we can compare both tablets.. the market today is saturated (thanks to Android) with mostly cheap tablets... and not one... has challenge the ipad2 in sales.. proving that people will spend more money to buy a quality product over an Amazon product... geeks here will drool to have the latest gadget for braging purposes.. because i dont think we need Quadcores phones... for anything..

43. JGuinan007 (Posts: 692; Member since: 19 May 2011)

I had the 1st Ipad I played with it for 3 months then never really used it threw away 700$ that kinda hurt my pocket but a tablet at 200$ I picked it up and I use it alot and since its smaller I actually take with me more and I think its better than the 1st Ipad although I liked the bigger screen

16. remixfa (Posts: 14605; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)

you obviously dont understand the reasoning for the tablet. its not for its features, its cloud abilities, android or anything.. its because its the first dual core mass produced tablet that is going to be a huge hit (more than likely sell more than all other android tablets combined within a few months).
The reason is that its popularity will put a huge downard pressure on the tablet market. if your looking at a $200 ipad and a $600 ipad and the only difference is on is 3 inches larger.. would u really buy the $600 ipad?? Are you telling me you wouldnt love if an ipad was 200-400 instead of 600+? especially if there was no real difference other than price?

you should be rooting the Fire on, not questioning it.

17. darth8balI (banned) (Posts: 18; Member since: 30 Sep 2011)

Do you really think there's no difference between the fire and iPad other than price?

21. Zayuh24 (Posts: 149; Member since: 21 Nov 2011)

There are three main differences:
1. Price.
2. Brand.
3. Consumer Expectancies.

1: Price is a key factor for the middle/low class society that do not want to pay an arm and a leg for any device.

2: The product's BRAND name stands out to a consumer just as much as the price. You look at a familiar name such as Apple, Sony, or Microsoft and hold it up to a less-popular name like Asus, Acer, etc. (in the US). Which do you honestly think will get more attention to the less tech-savvy buyer? People look at Amazon as an eBook/media-downloading company and expect it to perform quite well at that. The list goes on and on.

3: Word of mouth is a huge resource and ties together with what the consumer expects from a product. His friends tell him all about how the latest iPad has FaceTime with your iPhone and he wants to try something similar so that's what he looks for in the product. His friends also tell him that it's super fast and he wants to try it for himself; also another thing he expects from the device. What the consumer wants the product to do is only known by how its advertised, which Apple bests anybody at.

Other things like memory, apps, OS, etc. come into consideration, but after considering the three main things I mentioned.

23. remixfa (Posts: 14605; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)

darth, you missed the point of my responce.

i didnt compare the fire to the ipad, i compared a 200 ipad with the EXACT same features other than 3 inches of screen space... ie a 7 inch $200 ipad vs a 10 inch $600 ipad.

market 101 peeps... market 101..

30. darth8balI (banned) (Posts: 18; Member since: 30 Sep 2011)

But the features are not the same. I'm not following.

44. JGuinan007 (Posts: 692; Member since: 19 May 2011)

the masses dont care about the features right now they care do I need a tablet for $600 most will say no ask them if they need a tablet for $200 bucks alot will say yes then they get hooked on tablets like crack rock and the tablet market gets bigger and diversifies and more companys make tablets bigger better lighter octo- core and there the size of a legal pad and just as light all because people got hooked on the kindle fire crack rock

20. gallitoking (Posts: 4721; Member since: 17 May 2011)

I am questioning that the EepadTransformer was a better option as it change the tablet game... nothing against the kindle.. is a nice tablet.. just not enough for the award.. just my opinion thats all..