The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s product which competes with the Apple iPad. Here, we will compare the Fire to the iPad.
(You may want to refer to our Kindle Fire – iPad Comparison Chart when you compare Fire and iPad, as well)
Price
Did we mention that the Kindle Fire is $199? That is compared to the low-end Apple iPad price of $499.
Hardware
Size
The Kindle Fire is smaller and lighter than the iPad, at about 80% of the size and 70% of the weight of the iPad. At 7.5” x 4.7”, you can more readily carry a Kindle Fire around in your purse or pocket than an iPad.
Screen
The screen size, at 7” (measured diagonally) , is 2.5” smaller than the iPad’s. So movies and TV shows show on a smaller screen, books show less text, etc. The density of the Kindle Fire’s screen, however, is a bit higher. Density is a measurement of how many pixels exist per inch. Generally, the higher the density, the better the picture. The Kindle Fire’s screen has 167 pixels per inch, v. iPad’s 132 PPI.
Processor
Both devices have a 1GHz dual core ARM chip in them. Both companies will duke it out trying to convince you why theirs is better, but we consider that they are about the same.
Memory
The Kindle Fire comes with 8GB of memory, while the Apple iPad comes with 16GB of memory, so you wont’ be able to store as much music, apps and shows on the Fire as the iPad. That may not be so much an issue, because Amazon has a different approach to delivering music and shows.
Battery
Amazon claims that the battery in a Kindle Fire will last 7.5 hours on a charge. Apple claims that you will get 10 hours of battery life on a charge with the iPad. Both will get you through a movie or two.
Wireless
Both devices are equipped with wi-fi capability. The iPad also has Bluetooth, which allows you to wirelessly hook up a keyboard and other devices to it. The Kindle Fire has no Bluetooth capability.
Speakers, Camera and a Microphone
The iPad’s speakers are not stereo, interestingly, and the Kindle Fire’s speakers are. Of course, you’ll likely be listening to the device with a pair of headphones, which both devices support. The Kindle Fire does not have a microphone, so no Skype with the Fire. The iPad has two cameras, front and back, while the Kindle Fire has none.
Video Out
The iPad has the capability to output video to a number of devices via an HDMI out connector. This is not true for the Kindle Fire. So if you are planning on displaying presentations or slide shows with the device, the iPad is for you.
USB
The Kindle Fire has a USB port, the iPad doesn’t. We’re not sure at this point in what ways you’ll be able to take advantage of this USB port.
Colors
The Apple iPad comes in both black and white. The Kindle Fire comes in any color you’d like as long as it’s black. If you want white, you’ll have to spend $499.
Sensors
The iPad comes with a Magnetometer, giving it compass capabilities, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, in order to measure movement. So the iPad provides better capabilities for gaming and other uses in this regard. The Kindle Fire has none of these sensors. In addition, the iPad has an ambient light sensor, so it can automatically brighten and darken the screen according to its surroundings. Not so for the Kindle Fire.
Software
Operating System
Apple’s iOS is the operating system used in the iPad. The Kindle Fire uses a heavily customized version of Google’s Android OS. Amazon makes no mention of the Android OS, and would likely hope that you never know that it uses Android.
Both operating systems provide multi-tasking capability.
Email and Browser
Email is available on both devices, although you may get your Email via the browser, which both devices have. Amazon touts the Silk browser, which the Kindle Fire uses, as a system that optimizes performance through the use of server-side caching of web pages. Apple’s Safari browser is in use on the iPad.
Flash
The Amazon Kindle Fire supports Flash, while the iPad does not. This could be significant for some users, as there are many, many videos on the web which are only available on Flash format, and therefore not playable on the iPad
Content
Please keep in mind that the numbers specified below are based on our latest research, and are very likely to change on a regular basis.
Movies & TV Shows
Apple has 15,000 movies and TV shows in its iTunes service. Amazon claims to have 100,000 movies and TV shows available.
Music
The Kindle Fire has more than 17 million songs available to download from Amazon. The iPad, through iTunes, has more than 20 million songs available.
Apps
The iPad has a distinct advantage in terms of breadth of selection of apps available, with 500,000 apps available. There are currenlty some 16,000 Kindle Fire ready apps available.
Books
Books can be read on both devices. You can’t beat Amazon’s selection of books – 1 million at last count, against a reported 200,000 in the iBooks bookstore. Of course, on the iPad, you also can download a Kindle app, which makes available all those books that Amazon offers for the Kindle.
Magazines
The number of magazines available is looking like a distinct advantage for the Kindle Fire, with more than 400 available, v., based on our current research, well, we really can’t tell at this point how many magazines are available on Apple’s Newsstand. It certainly looks like well under 400.
Playable Multimedia Formats
The iPad can play files of all kinds from iTunes, while the Kindle Fire cannot. In addition, the iPad can play files in MP3, WAV and MPEG formats. The Kindle Fire can also play files in MP3, WAV and MPEG formats, as well as the following additional formats: AAC, MIDI, OGG, VP8.
Cloud Storage
Both devices can take advantage of free cloud storage offered by their respective companies.
Warranty
Both devices are backed by a one year warranty.
Use our Kindle Fire – iPad Comparison Chart as an aid when you compare Fire and iPad.