# like ipad



## jwatson300011 (Feb 1, 2010)

I have lost interest in Fire now that I'm in the middle of a pretty tough transitional period. How close is it to owning an ipad?


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## pitbullandfire (Nov 27, 2011)

IMHO it's an e-reader with tablet capabilities vs iPad is a full blown tablet with e-reader abilities...The iPad is bigger and has a lot more options for growth and use...I had the iPad 1 but didn't use it enough to justify having it (I will be listing it soon)...The FIRE is smaller and great for me, but I'm probably not the norm in this camp...Good luck in your research...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't consider the Fire a substitute for my iPad.  I use my iPad as my primary computer (paired with a bluetooth keyboard).  I use my Fire for media consumption (books, movies, video, games), which of course the iPad does, too.

So my answer would be, it depends on what you would use an iPad for.  If primarily for games, music, video, it would probably work (albeit on a smaller screen).  If you want to do a lot of document processing--word, spreadsheets, etc., the lack of a physical keyboard is an issue.

Betsy


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## dori chatelain (Dec 31, 2011)

My husband has an Ipad and I have used it here and there. I don't like it as much as I like my fire. the one reason is the size. I have issues with my arms and it is hard for me to hold for long periods of time but with the fire I can hold it easier. and I don't use it as a computer so that is not an issue. my fire is completely for entertainment purposes.....


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## gbdell (Dec 11, 2011)

I have both an iPad 2 and a Fire. The lack of flash is problimatic on the pad, watching streaming content is not possible as Apple has set it up. I much prefer the Fire for portability, weight and the ability to watch all the Prime streaming video on the Kindle's display. 
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

I have (and love) my iPad 2 for almost a year now and would not be without it.  This Christmas I got my wife the Fire (because she wanted an eReader and e-Ink doesn't work for her).

I have to admit I'm more impressed with it than I thought I would be.  The screen looks *really* good, better than my iPad (because, at the same resolution more or less, the smaller size makes it look more detailed, just like blowing up an image without increasing the resolution loses detail).  The form factor is perfect for reading text (but not magazines or graphic novels, which is my primary use of the iPad), and the weight is less than half.

On the negative side, it doesn't operate nearly as smoothly as my iPad -- page turning, while adequate, isn't up to the amazing touch of the iPad, and general navigation has a long way to go to compete.  The interface isn't nearly as consistent, or as intuitive to me.  And the battery life is about half of what I get from my iPad (although it does charge in about half the time.  I have a more sophisticated reading app on my iPad (the nearest I can find for the Fire isn't nearly as nice) and it gets very warm to the touch (not hot, just warm) unlike my iPad, which never seems to heat up no matter how long it's on.  The iPad, of course, is constructed like a tank (although the Fire does have Gorilla glass for the front).  And the iPad has some amazing features, like Facetime, which the Fire can't even touch (if you have any friends or family with an Apple device you really need Facetime on some device -- it's like being with our grandkids even though we're thousands of miles away).

I read one reviewer saying the Fire was "90% of the iPad at 40% of the cost".  Ahem... not even close.  More like 50% of the iPad, both ways.  But even with the negatives and with the fact that I wouldn't be without my iPad I'm actually thinking of getting a Fire myself just for reading (might not, but we'll see).  As Betsy says, you need to evaluate what your needs are.  The nice thing about either one is you can get them at Best Buy and return within a reasonable period of time (I'm guessing two weeks as they are most likely "computer" devices) if you don't like.  Get them both and compare them side by side.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Unfortunately I had to buy an ipad for my son's education and I am not a real fan of the ipad in the least, here at least are my reasons for not really liking the ipad and preferring my fire:

1) I don't know about you but I really don't like having a giant corporation looking over what is sold for the ipad and dictating what I can buy and what I can't see and/or do.
2) Apple products cost to darn much, anytime I compare an apple product against its competitors the apple product typically costs 75% to 100% more than the others.  This is becuase apple is propietary.
3) And another thing I come from an IT world where the word proprietary is a curse word and you just don't do it and apple is all about proprietary.  I understand that the apple is proprietary as well however amazon does not attempt to dictate what I can see and what I can buy.
4)While apple does have a lot of great apps available for their products I have found their app store somewhat lacking in the sort of content that I am after and the amazon store tends to be a lot better than the apple store is in my estimation.

Its just my oppinion take it or leave it.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

pitbullandfire said:


> IMHO it's an e-reader with tablet capabilities vs iPad is a full blown tablet with e-reader abilities...The iPad is bigger and has a lot more options for growth and use...I had the iPad 1 but didn't use it enough to justify having it (I will be listing it soon)...The FIRE is smaller and great for me, but I'm probably not the norm in this camp...Good luck in your research...


That's me also. I have an iPad 1 and a Fire. Don't see getting another iPad in the future. But then again, it's the size and weight of the Fire that attracted me. So if coming iPad(s) are smaller . . . maybe.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'll note that if you buy the Fire from Amazon you have 30 days to evaluate it.

Betsy


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## AlleyGator (Mar 25, 2011)

*Here is a great article about Kindle Fire vs iPad 2:

CLICK HERE*


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## malligator (Jul 1, 2010)

Had a Fire for a couple of days. Liked it. Definitely a nice device for Amazon media consumption. Have had the iPad 2 for about 6 days. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Is owning the Fire like owning an iPad? No.


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## Skydog (Mar 16, 2009)

Not interested in an iPad in the least.  It does far less than my Xoom running Honeycomb - no comparison.  Love my Fire, too - both are different devices for different purposes.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Having both, I've never thought the iPad vs Fire was a useful or realistic comparison.  I bought the Fire for media consumption.  I do work on the iPad.

Betsy


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

Skydog said:


> Not interested in an iPad in the least. It does far less than my Xoom running Honeycomb - no comparison.


As an owner of both, I'm going to have to completely disagree with you on that one. Literally the only thing I do on a regular basis that the Xoom has over the iPad is its ability to run the NFL Rewind video service--albeit at a paltry 8fps or so, whereas the iPad won't do it at all (in other words, the laptop gets pressed into service on this one). App selection is far wider on the iPad, and apps that are common to both platforms tend to have more polish and run better on the iPad, and the UI is far choppier on the Xoom than its dual core processor and 1GB of RAM would suggest. It also feels much heavier, for some reason, even though the actual weights are pretty close.

But back to the Fire. It's great for what it is--a consumer of cloud-based and subscription streaming services, and a portal to Amazon--and is a home run for the price. My wife was a little unsure about it when opening the box on Xmas, but she loves it now. Again, the UI isn't quite as snappy and responsive as I'd like, but I'm far more tolerant of that in a $199 tablet than I am in a $599 one, which is what the Xooms were when I ordered them.


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## scott99 (Dec 30, 2011)

pitbullandfire said:


> IMHO it's an e-reader with tablet capabilities vs iPad is a full blown tablet with e-reader abilities...The iPad is bigger and has a lot more options for growth and use...I had the iPad 1 but didn't use it enough to justify having it (I will be listing it soon)...The FIRE is smaller and great for me, but I'm probably not the norm in this camp...Good luck in your research...


I have to disagree with you on this one. Not that I'm offended by the comment, so I'm not being defensive when I say, the Kindle Fire is every bit a tablet and any other tablet out there. What is needed to be considered a tablet ? Here's the definition of a Tablet from PC magazine:

*Definition of: tablet computer

A general-purpose computer contained in a single panel. Its distinguishing characteristic is the use of a touch screen as the input device. Modern tablets are operated by fingers, whereas earlier tablets required a stylus.*

Whater exactly makes the iPad a tablet and the Kindle Fire NOT a tablet ? They both have touchscreens, both can access the internet, both have virtual keyboards and both can access media (music, film, apps), both have operating systems. Where does it say that having a camera or GPS makes something a tablet, and not having them makes something less than a tablet ? The Kindle Fire is indeed a very passable tablet, that can also be used as a great e-reader. In fact, with Flash, I can access more websites on my Kindle Fire than iPad users can.


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## FloridaFire (Nov 21, 2011)

This is just my own opinion (so no rock throwing please), but I giggle when I see people taking pics with their iPads.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I giggle and think it's cool at the same time.   I'll probably get the next gen iPad to replace my iPad1 and have no doubt I'll use the camera.

As for web usability, it's a mix for me.  I much prefer browsing on my iPad for the most part.  The few sites that don't work for me on the iPad usually work on the Fire, though not always.  Not all flash video is created equal.  

Betsy


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## FloridaFire (Nov 21, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I giggle and think it's cool at the same time.  I'll probably get the next gen iPad to replace my iPad1 and have no doubt I'll use the camera.
> 
> As for web usability, it's a mix for me. I much prefer browsing on my iPad for the most part. The few sites that don't work for me on the iPad usually work on the Fire, though not always. Not all flash video is created equal.
> 
> Betsy


I'm never without my camera, so not having a camera on the Fire was never a deal breaker for me. As for web surfing, I just had a new laptop built to my specs and I love using that to get around.

But I have to say, I just discovered "iHeartRadio" and I'm loving it on the fire!


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I have an iPad 1 and a Kindle Fire. They're both remarkable devices, but after using the Fire for almost two months now, I've decided to sell my iPad. The Fire does pretty much everything I was using the iPad for, and sideloading files onto the Fire puts the arcane process of putting files on the iPad to shame. That's a big issue for me.


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Actually, I don't know how it could be any easier to put files on the iPad than using Dropbox (and, of course, you can use Dropbox on the Fire as well).

Then again, I only have an iPad 2 (which is so much better than the Fire there is no comparison).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Better for you, maybe, but that is not a universal sentiment.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


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## mkelley (Dec 24, 2011)

Right, which is why threads like these are so pointless. Sorry to have contributed to the noise <g>.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

FloridaFire said:


> I'm never without my camera, so not having a camera on the Fire was never a deal breaker for me. As for web surfing, I just had a new laptop built to my specs and I love using that to get around.
> 
> But I have to say, I just discovered "iHeartRadio" and I'm loving it on the fire!


I always have a camera around too...and will continue to use it. But I post a lot of photos to the web, and the ease of doing it from the iPad is pretty cool....

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's what's funny re: using the iPad camera

Gorgeous vistas, beautiful scenery . . . and a person is holding a screen up in front of it and looking at the electronic facsimile of the real thing that's right in front of them. 

But, yeah, it is a cool way to get a picture you can post right away. . . .


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I agree.  I think it's funny and cool at the same time.


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## FloridaFire (Nov 21, 2011)

Betsy, I think that's great   I'll bet posting pics is super fast for you!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Well, I don't have one now...that's a future plan, LOL!

Betsy


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