I want an ipad,should I settle for kindle fire?

[disney_girl125]

I can't afford an ipad right now. I'm debating on just getting a kindle fire for now. I figure when I do decide to get the ipad, I can just use the kindle for reading. Or possibly skip the ipad and get a macbook. Does anyone have an ipad and kindle? Is that a waste? Opinions on the kindle fire?

 

[ekatiel]

DH, AKA: Gadget Man, has both. He told me the other day, he wishes he hadn't spent the money on the Fire. Apparently, it is pretty limited as far as storage space and what you can do with it. It is not near as versatile as the iPAD. That being said, DH also has a regular Kindle, so he doesn't "need" the Fire to read books, either. It's basically just an extra gadget that he bought with his allowance money because he was interested in the product (he already had the iPAD). If you really want an iPAD, you will not be happy with the Fire. Just wait a few months, continue to save, and get what you really want. --Katie

 

[kthruz143]

I would wait for the Ipad mini to come out it will be the same price as the kindle fire. and do everything as the ipad

 

[QVCshopper]

I would wait for the Ipad mini to come out it will be the same price as the kindle fire. and do everything as the ipad

Exactly my advice. It's supposed to be $300 and a 7" screen. Or, try to win an iPad. I won two a year apart. One from a local zoo and one from the library. True story.

 

[angierae]

I love my Kindle Fire, but it's not an iPad by a long shot. Especially since it can't get 3G, so anything internet-related you have to do on wifi.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

If you are addicted to Apple products, there is no substitute!

 

[MollyMcDaniel]

We bought an iPad for the family....we were back at the store in less than 2 months buying a second iPad...one for me and one for DH. Our 8yr old DD uses whichever one we are not using. I have to say that I still love my old school Kindle for reading. I like the screen better and does not fatigue my eyes like the lighted iPad screen. I would say skip the Kindle fire and go iPad. You can pick one up with wi-fi (not 3G) 16gb for $399. I would spend a little more if you plan on storing a lot of songs or movies, though and upgrade to 32 or 64 gb. This is our first apple product and we will be switching our phones over to the iphone when our Sprint contract is up in Sep.

 

[Interpol]

I can't afford an ipad right now. I'm debating on just getting a kindle fire for now. I figure when I do decide to get the ipad, I can just use the kindle for reading. Or possibly skip the ipad and get a macbook. Does anyone have an ipad and kindle? Is that a waste? Opinions on the kindle fire?

No way to adequately answer your questions with the little information you've given. What do you want to use a tablet for, and what do you want to do with it? If you're also pondering a Macbook then there must be some reason why you'd prefer that over an iPad.

I'm on my 4th iPad and also have a Macbook Pro, a 3rd gen Kindle 3G, a Motorola Xoom, a Lenovo Windows laptop, 4 iPods, and a bunch of other devices and each one has a reason for existing in my home.

 

[MrsWendy]

I would wait for the Ipad mini to come out it will be the same price as the kindle fire. and do everything as the ipad

Except for the fact that the iPad Mini is nothing more than complete rumor at this point. All of the "specs" mentioned relating to it, including price, are wild guesses from mostly untrustworthy rumor sites.

 

[ibob52]

Buy a Refurbished ipad2 from the Apple.com ... they just went down in price last week = $319.00 + tax ... if there are not any available when you check ... wait a few days and try again ... they will be in stock.

 

[sydneysmom]

Both my DH and I had Nook colors....l had wanted a tablet. We test drove an android tablet, but I returned it. To me, it wasn't anything great. The about 2weeks after returning it, Apple put the iPad 2 on sale for $399 . So my DH said, just go get one....it's what you wanted all along.. It is AWESOME! He started playing with it and loved it too. We actually wound up trading both Nooks at Best Buy for another iPad. (best buy has a buy back on electronics)

I'm so loving the iPad.....we have Kindle, Nook and iBooks right on the iPad, so you can buy the book you want where it's most economical! I vote for the iPad.....

 

[navywifetill2002]

If you think you want an i-pad you won't be happy with the Fire. Save the money you would spend on the Fire towards the i-pad. I got a Zune instead of an i-pod and then spent the money on the i-pod and the Zune just sits...Lesson learned!

 

[limace]

Buy a regular kindle for reading, not a fire-you want something with no glare. Save for an iPad.

 

[dontthrowsand]

The fire has a terrible UI. It is buggy, lags and essentially an afterthought. The iPad is crisp, clean and has a great ecosystem for apps. Depending on what you want the iPad for, I might even say go with a MacBook air. I have a ton of product (iMac, MacBook pro, iPad, iPhone, iPod) all mostly in multiples and the iPad is by far my favorite though I use my mbp for long essays and my imac for photo editing. I use my iPad for school, teaching, traveling, and pretty much everything with a few exceptions such as those mentioned above.

Just ps. Don't count on rumored apple products. You could be waiting forever then.

 

[MisWal]

I was like you- wanted an iPad, but settled for a Fire. Six months later, I ended up getting the iPad anyways and haven't touched the Fire.

 

[danceintherain]

I went through a similar issue for a Christmas present for my husband. I ended up getting him the Kindle Touch, and he loves it. Eventually, I'm sure we'll get an iPad, but for now the Kindle Touch works. Unfortunately, it didn't sway my husband from wanting to collect books. We also both have smart phones with 3G capabilities, so we can pretty much take the internet with us everywhere anyways.

My sister has both a Kindle and an iPad. The iPad does have a lot of nice features. She doesn't have a laptop, so she can use the iPad for videos etc while traveling with kids. It's certainly more portable than a laptop.

Basically, it depends on your needs. I usually err on the side of not purchasing the first generation of something, except at a huge discount. If anything is going to be glitchy it is a company's first try at something.

 

[jaminmd]

If you use the search function, there are a lot of posts about the differences between the two. I have a Kindle Fire & DH has an iPad. I prefer my Fire, actually, and I am an Apple junkie. I have two macbooks, several iPods and an iPhone, too, but the Fire suits me perfectly.

I do only use it for Web surfing and reading. It's a pain to type on, so I wouldn't use it for that. It makes reading in bed easier for me too, because with the cover I have for it, I can just prop it on my belly and I don't have to hold it.

 

[eliza61]

I can't afford an ipad right now. I'm debating on just getting a kindle fire for now. I figure when I do decide to get the ipad, I can just use the kindle for reading. Or possibly skip the ipad and get a macbook. Does anyone have an ipad and kindle? Is that a waste? Opinions on the kindle fire?

So I don't think price should be your determinig factor, rather what do you want to do with either.

For me, I primarily wanted an e reader. I have a DSLR so I didn't need some thing to take pictures with, my phone plays my music and all I use that for is in the car and at the gym. No way was I lugging an Ipad to the gym with me.
and since I do most other stuff on my notebook an Ipad really would have been overkill for me.
the only time I will watch a movie on my devices is when I'm flying and once again I have my laptop for that.

My fire allows me to read, which was my primary function and also websurf when I want to.

 

[jrmasm]

If I had to make a decision today, I'd get an Ipad except if I could get a refurb Kindle for $129. Then I think I'd go with the Fire.

We have both. I prefer the Fire because of it's size but would not buy another at this time due to it's limited memory. Other than that issue, I think it's a great device.

 

[mickeygirl14]

Totally depends on what you want it to do...I have an iPad and I LOVE my iPad, but I can't read for long periods of time on it, so I broke down and bought the "Special Offers" original kindle and LOVE that for reading. If you plan to do a lot of reading, then hands down, you need kindle - much easier on the eyes. But if you're looking for a tablet and only occasional reading, then go for the iPad. Both of my kids have kindle fires and they love them, but they're not doing a lot of surfing and stuff on them - they're mainly reading, playing with the apps and watching movies. If you were doing a lot of surfing, IMO I'd say the screen size would probably start to drive you crazy after a while.