Kindle Fire v iPad Mini

The first release of the Kindle Fire in 2011 was a success based on price, ease of use and the fact that was a well-known brand. Since 2012, Amazon has released two new Kindle devices, Google has the brilliant Nexus 7, however in my opinion the winner in the low end tablet stakes is the new Apple iPad Mini.

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OK so it costs almost $130 more than nearly all its competitors, but it will definitely give Amazon some cause for concern.
Like any purchase it depends entirely on what you want and how much you have to spend. If you want good software, superb design, or are already an Apple user, the iPad mini has to be worth the extra $130. If you buy a lot of Amazon content and want a sharper display, then you might be happy to compromise and save some money on the Kindle Fire HD.

Size is not necessarily everything. The iPad mini is far slimmer than the 7-inch Fire HD. Otherwise they look pretty much the same, but don’t expect the Kindle to have an OS that looks anything like IOS 6. The Kindles’ Android 4.0 OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, looks more like an Amazon store-front than a usual operating system, but it is easy to read Kindle books, watch Amazon Instant Videos, and surf the web.

Design quality is subjective but for my money, the iPad mini is the winner in this department. Its aluminium unibody design comes either in black/slate or white/silver just like the iPhone 5 and the larger iPad. The back of the Kindle Fire is plastic and rubber and whilst being relatively comfortable to grip lacks the iPad Mini’s robust looks. The iPad is slightly lighter

On the display front, the resolution gives an advantage for the Fire. It packs more pixels into a smaller display. Apple, in order to keep its software standard across the range uses the same resolution as its original two iPads, but the iPad mini does offer nearly an extra inch of screen area. For the maximum viewing area you want the iPad mini.

Each tablet runs a dual core chip that is starting to show its age but for most users either device will deliver decent performance. The iPad mini's RAM is unconfirmed, but in keeping with the iPad 2, I suggest it will have 512MB. The Kindle Fire's 1GB is a given, but if you want 64GB of flash memory, then the iPad mini is the only option for you.

The iPad mini is available both as Wi-Fi only or as a 3G/LTE model whereas the Kindle Fire HD is Wi-Fi only. If you want a Kindle Fire with cellular data, you will have to wait for the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD 4G

For battery life, we currently only have the manufacturers’ estimate so take it as you will, but as both companies are serious about maximising battery life you should be fine with either device.

The iPad mini has a front and rear facing camera just like the iPad whilst the Kindle Fire HD only has a front-facing camera. You decide if you need two, but you get it anyway with the iPad mini. I personally use Facetime extensively when travelling.

Is it worth paying an extra $130 for the iPad mini’s good looks, robust design and ubiquitous apps? Amazon has some good apps but is a long way behind. Any full-sized iPad app will run on the iPad mini which for along with the Apple comfort factor is all that matters to me and many customers