What is the big deal with Kindle Fire?

The last week and a half the news has been filled with Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble's equivalent.  Because the Nook nook only allows 1GB of storage for non-Barnes and Noble bought apps and the fact that most websites and reviewers have noted that the Kindle Fire is superior, I will ignore the Nook for now.

The most important thing for me to consider is how important is the Kindle Fire to the gaming industry?

The most interesting facts that have been reported the last week in the 1/2 are as follows:

• Ipad is now considered the #1 most requested / wanted gaming platform for kids per Nielson.
• By the end of 2011, iOS and Android based gaming revenue will surpass portable game revenue (ie DS, PSP, etc...)
• iOS and Android games have or will soon surpass mobile game sales.
• Developers support development for the Kindle Fire because of its low purchase price and current demand.
• According to surveys, Kindle Fire has the 2nd highest purchase intent after the Ipad and Ipad users are considering switching to the Kindle Fire.
• Users who are intending to purchase a table in the next year find the Kindle Fire a better option than an Android based Tablet.

Based on all these facts, the Kindle Fire has the potential to be a strong player in the portable gaming market.   Since tablets are being adopted by adults and now by children alike, they will be here to stay.  In fact, once they become powerful enough, they will probably replace netbooks and laptops.  Remember watching those sci-fi movies or shows where people used very thin tablets to do computing, that maybe coming in 5-6 years.

What will determine a platforms viability is content, which is why the support from developers is essentials.  With game companies already making products for the Kindle and other developers also expressing support.  Content will probably not be an issue.  Also, Kindle already gets content from Amazon's expansive book deals.  Kindle Fire, like the Ipad, also offers web browsing and other features.

At $199, Kindle Fire has a very low price point that will probably fall in less than a year.  This makes it a perfect medium to be adopted by the mass consumer.    For the gaming marketing, $99 and $199 is considered the ideal price points for a console to go mainstream.  Since Kindle Fire is not just a portable console, but can be used for many other things.  This gives it added utility.

Kindle Fire has the support, usability, price, and distribution reach (tons of people use Amazon.com right?!) to be a strong #2 player for tablets.  It maybe the Android equivalent to the iOS on smart phones for Tablets.   Unlike the Android, whose market place was not very strong in the beginning, Amazon's awesome marketplace will make selling games and other apps very easy right off in the beginning.

Remember what everyone says, once someone says that a platform has arrived, you just missed the boat.  Kindle Fire is in its infancy and maybe a great partner to break into the portable gaming market with.






ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM MOBILE BEAT:

http://venturebeat.com/2011/12/02/kindle-fire-ships-3m/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Venturebeat+%28VentureBeat%29

Kindle Fire ships over 3M units, may already be no. 2 tablet after iPad

December 2, 2011 | Sean Ludwig

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Amazon’s ultra-cheap Kindle Fire has already shipped between 3 and 4 million units. Combined with news of excellent Black Friday sales last week, the Fire may already be the number two tablet after the Apple iPad.
As far back as August, analysts have predicted that a less expensive, Amazon-made alternative to the iPad could sell up to 5 million units before the end of the year. Amazon appears to be making those predictions a reality with its Kindle Fire, which retails at $199 and can be used to read e-books, browse the web, play casual games and download content like movies and TV shows. If it sells more than 5 million units, the Fire would be the best-selling Android-based tablet in the world, beating high-profile tablets from Samsung and Motorola.
The 3-to-4 million Kindle Fire unit shipping estimate comes courtesy of Digitimes. Citing unnamed sources, the report says Quanta — Amazon’s manufacturer — has already shipped up to 4 million units and will likely have 5 million shipped before the end of 2011.
The Kindle Fire launched Nov. 15 and features a 7-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution, a TI OMAP4 dual-core processor and 8GB of on-board storage. The tablet offers applications from Netflix, Facebook, Rovio, Electronic Arts, PopCap and more, which likely fueled adoption.
The Kindle Fire’s two largest competitors are the iPad, which retails for a minimum $499, and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, which runs for $249. The iPad does a whole lot more than the Kindle Fire, but because it costs at least $300 more, penny-pinching consumers may decide they can do without those extra features. The Nook Tablet offers better base specs and performance than the Kindle Fire, but it lacks a content ecosystem of movies, TV shows and music to download.