Kindle Fire HD vs iPad Mini.....Help me decide

[kalliyan1]

First off, we are a Mac family...have mac's, ipad, ipods, iphones, and macbooks.
I'm wanting to get my little girls a tablet of their own for Christmas. I was waiting for the ipad mini to come out and now that it's out, the one I'm looking at is $429 for the 32gb vs. $264 for the 32gb kindle.
They are 6 & 8 and will use this for apps(they really like the disney apps), movies(we have netflix and hulu), but also movies that I will load onto the device(that's why I want the 32gb version).
I'm obviously familiar with itunes and what's available.

Heres the dilema I'm not sure if I go with the kindle fire if in the long run it will be the best option. We have purchased some apps for them(not a huge amout though) but when I have looked at the kindle store, unless I'm missing something, it just doesn't seem to have all the many apps.
Am I missing something or is there really not as many choices in the kindle store? I don't want to NOT choose the kindle just because I'm missing something.

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

TIA

 

[mrudman]

First off, we are a Mac family...have mac's, ipad, ipods, iphones, and macbooks.
I'm wanting to get my little girls a tablet of their own for Christmas. I was waiting for the ipad mini to come out and now that it's out, the one I'm looking at is $429 for the 32gb vs. $264 for the 32gb kindle.
They are 6 & 8 and will use this for apps(they really like the disney apps), movies(we have netflix and hulu), but also movies that I will load onto the device(that's why I want the 32gb version).
I'm obviously familiar with itunes and what's available.

Heres the dilema I'm not sure if I go with the kindle fire if in the long run it will be the best option. We have purchased some apps for them(not a huge amout though) but when I have looked at the kindle store, unless I'm missing something, it just doesn't seem to have all the many apps.
Am I missing something or is there really not as many choices in the kindle store? I don't want to NOT choose the kindle just because I'm missing something.

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

TIA

If you can handle it financially, I'd definitely go with the Ipad mini's... I just think it would be the much better choice in the long run. But of course, I'm biased, cause we're an Apple family here, lol.. have 3 Touches and an Ipad.

 

[DisneyBrooke81]

I have a Kindle Fire, and there are not as many apps out there as there is for apple. I was debating on getting my 6 year old her own Fire, but for now an going to get her an iPod Touch.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you already have so many Apple products, it makes sense to go with the iPad. It's a better product anyway.

 

[LJSquishy]

I would hands down choose the iPad Mini...just considering the app store alone would make me choose Apple.

I have an Android phone (over 2 years old now) and at the time I was excited about it but after getting an iPad last year I wish I would have purchased the iPhone. The app market for Apple is just way more polished and they have more restrictions on who can submit apps. Android is a joke...basically anyone can make an app. So, while this info doesn't relate to the Kindle completely, Amazon isn't going to have the polished app market that Apple has.

I was so anti-Apple for a long time because a lot of people do Apple for "trendy" reasons so I was trying to not do that...but their products really are superior. Sure, maybe other phones & tablets have a couple of better features (like the ability to use an SD card or something), but Apple is far more polished than any other company. What they do, they do extremely well.

 

[shannon006]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what about the Google Nexus? I have heard great things about it.

 

[mrskchris]

I agree. If you already are a Mac family, buy the iPad mini. We have a Kindle, and it is good for the kids to play games or to read books, but so far it is not as good as an ipad

 

[married2mm]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what about the Google Nexus? I have heard great things about it.

we are having a similar dilemma.

the cost of ipad mini (in the uk) is far more than similar memory sized kindle,ipod touch or google nexus.

is the nexus now considered the best?

t.i.a.

 

[RitaE]

we are having a similar dilemma.

the cost of ipad mini (in the uk) is far more than similar memory sized kindle,ipod touch or google nexus.

is the nexus now considered the best?

t.i.a.

I think the Nexus is thought by many to be the best value. You can access the full Google Marketplace without any jailbreaking or fiddling. Google is supposed to have a new product launch soon with upgraded tablets and 3G access on the Nexus devices.

Hardware-wise the Kindle Fire HD is superior to the iPAD - but you are more limited in terms of the firmware and you are fairly tied to the Amazon store.

The iPAD mini has inferior specs but you'd have to be a pure geek to fuss all that much over the pixel differences etc. If you want to use the iTunes App store you have to stay with the Apple line of products. The big difference is the high price.

 

[Fyrefly]

CNet and several other review sites are still considering the Google Nexus 7 the best 7 inch tablet. Better hardware than the iPad mini without being tied down to the Amazon interface the way the Fire is, just as many if not more apps, and $200 vs. $340.

 

[married2mm]

I think the Nexus is thought by many to be the best value. You can access the full Google Marketplace without any jailbreaking or fiddling. Google is supposed to have a new product launch soon with upgraded tablets and 3G access on the Nexus devices.

Hardware-wise the Kindle Fire HD is superior to the iPAD - but you are more limited in terms of the firmware and you are fairly tied to the Amazon store.

The iPAD mini has inferior specs but you'd have to be a pure geek to fuss all that much over the pixel differences etc. If you want to use the iTunes App store you have to stay with the Apple line of products. The big difference is the high price.

thanks-may i push further for more info?

dd and ds both have ipods-so no further need for itunes.

the usage of the chosen product, would be primarily to surf net, you tube, maybe play a few games-so what do you think works best in this situation?
t.i.a.

 

[Elleshoodat]

If you are an Apple family, stick with Apple. We have MacBooks, iPhones and an iPad (DH), and last year I bought myself a Kindle Fire to save some money. The user experience is not nearly as pleasant, it crashes on me ... and I kick myself for not knowing better. You get what you pay for.

 

[married2mm]

If you are an Apple family, stick with Apple. We have MacBooks, iPhones and an iPad (DH), and last year I bought myself a Kindle Fire to save some money. The user experience is not nearly as pleasant, it crashes on me ... and I kick myself for not knowing better. You get what you pay for.

that's kind of what i thought, just the price was more than i was expecting/wanting it to be!

 

[luvthemouse71]

The Kindle Fire HD has a better screen, the iPad mini's screen will be similar to an ipad 2.

However,it sounds like you are heavily invested in Apple' s system already, so the iPad mini may be a better choice for you. The Kindle Fire is more geared towards reading than the iPad mini.

I have a Kindle Fire HD and an iPad 3. I never use the iPad for reading. I use it for web browsing, movies and games. I will use the Kindle for these things but mainly in places where I don't want to risk the iPad or it won't fit in my purse.

It sounds like based on the usage, your kids will love the iPad mini.

 

[Dizzytime]

thanks-may i push further for more info?

dd and ds both have ipods-so no further need for itunes.

the usage of the chosen product, would be primarily to surf net, you tube, maybe play a few games-so what do you think works best in this situation?
t.i.a.

I must say that the Kindle Fire will do that just fine. We bought the original Kindle Fire's last Feb (for us, not our kids) when they were $199 and it's definitely the best money I've ever spent. To me, the new, improved Fire at $159 is a STEAL. My fire does everything I need, except work-stuff, and I have a laptop for that.
For surfing the net, video, tv shows, movies, books, magazines, newspapers, games, etc it is more than fine, it's great. May not do all the apple can, but for the price, and considering it's for a child, I'd consider for sure. Not sure how the price compares exactly, but you may be able to buy a KF for each child for the price of one Apple....

JMHO. Good luck!

 

[MissVesper]

Don't know if you've already read this, but the Cool Mom Tech blog has a write up on Tablets for kids, and weather the iPad Mini is a good bet:

http://www.coolmomtech.com/2012/10/is_the_ipad_mini_good_for_kids.php#more

 

[TnTWalter]

besides being smaller, the mini is lacking compared to the IPAD 3 and you can get the IPAD 3 for $379 [refurb from APPLE 1 yr warranty].

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC705LL/A/refurbished-ipad-with-wi-fi-16gb-black-3rd-generation

If you want apple and small, I'd go with the IPOD Touch 5g.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Don't know if you've already read this, but the Cool Mom Tech blog has a write up on Tablets for kids, and weather the iPad Mini is a good bet:

http://www.coolmomtech.com/2012/10/is_the_ipad_mini_good_for_kids.php#more

Her conclusions might be good, but I couldn't get past her comment that because the iPad Mini was light and thin, you kid was more likely to drop it! Somehow, I would think something heavy and thick is more likely to be dropped. -- Suzanne

 

[RitaE]

thanks-may i push further for more info?

dd and ds both have ipods-so no further need for itunes.

the usage of the chosen product, would be primarily to surf net, you tube, maybe play a few games-so what do you think works best in this situation?
t.i.a.

I agree with the post a couple up that for those uses I'd go with the iPAD 3. Unless you are specifically looking for a 7inch portability factor.

In the case I do not really agree that the iPAD mini $329 price tag is bringing you better quality. The hardware specs on it are actually kind of lower end. What it does bring is compatibility with the Apple ecosystem so if you are already invested in that, it is an advantage.

The Nexus 7 is a really nice device and I don't know of anybody who has bought one and been disappointed. I have the original Kindle Fire and we really don't have any problems with software crashes or freezes. Our game playing and use doesn't get much more complicated than Angry Birds though. I do stick it in my purse and sometimes use it for web use when I'm out on the road. My problems there stem more from the fact that I prefer a larger screen than anything to do with the Fire. It plays movies nicely too - no problems there except I wish it had a slot for a expandable memory card.

 

[wiigirl]

Don't know if you've already read this, but the Cool Mom Tech blog has a write up on Tablets for kids, and weather the iPad Mini is a good bet:

http://www.coolmomtech.com/2012/10/is_the_ipad_mini_good_for_kids.php#more

Awesome! Thanks!