[NewsPoster]

[Update: Amazon's front page no longer features the comparison] Amazon is taking the fight to Apple, using the front page of its popular site to call out Apple's new iPad mini as overpriced for the features it delivers compared to Amazon's Kindle Fire HD. Visitors to Amazon's front page will now see a quote from a tech blog calling Apple "ballsy" for pricing its 7.9-inch iPad mini as much as $130 more than competing seven-inch devices. Below, a small chart compares the features of the two devices and pronounces the Kindle Fire HD as the device that delivers "much more for much less."

Amazon's comparison is heavily weighted in favor of the e-retailer's own product, calling out the baseline iPad mini for its "standard definition, low-resolution display," "mono speaker," and inability to render movies and TV in HD. Meanwhile, the comparison hails the Kindle Fire HD's "stunning" display, as well as its higher pixel density, which allows it to render video in 720p, though it downscales 1080p content. It does not, however, mention advantages the iPad mini holds over the Kindle Fire HD, including its rear-facing camera, larger screen, and Apple's sizable advantage in tablet-optimized apps. That Amazon would use its front page to tout its own product is not new; the retailer has used its homepage -- the tenth-most visited on the Internet -- to advertise its products since it began offering the original Kindle. That prominent placement has led to Amazon's hardware products' ongoing status as the top selling products among all those the company sells. This may, though, be the first time that the e-retailer has used its page to directly call out a competitor. The homepage swipe isn't the only one Amazon has tossed at Apple in recent days, though. The retailer's most recently quarterly statement spent the opening part of its highlights section comparing both its Kindle Fire HD 7 and its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 to the new iPad mini. Amazon also made sure to publicize a spike in Kindle Fire HD sales that occurred on the day after Apple announced its smaller iPad. The retailer's focus on the iPad mini is indicative of the fierce competition in the small tablet market, a market pioneered by Samsung and other manufacturers, but one that only began to mature in the last year with the introduction of Amazon's first Kindle Fire and this year with the launch of Google's Nexus 7 tablet. Apple's entry into this market drew no small amount of criticism from multiple media outlets, who claimed -- as Amazon does -- that the iPad mini is overpriced given its feature set. Other small tablets -- including the Nook HD, Nexus 7, and Kindle Fire HD -- may beat the iPad mini on pricing, or screen resolution, but Apple executives have attempted to deflect criticism on these points by pointing out that the smaller iPad has a larger screen, numerous other advantages and a much deeper catalog of tablet-specific apps than its competition.

[vinnieA2]

ummm, this article is about 36 hours late...old news.

[cashxx]

Late.......

But go to Amazon site and start giving the Fire's a rating of 1. Just got done doing so after a legit handling of one. A student brought one in a what crap. Messed with it for about 5 minutes and that was too long. Not for me and gave it a review.

[Charles Martin]

I'll tell you what's "ballsy" ... comparing a plastic, hobbled Android POS to a metal, crafted and engineered quality product and complaining that it's a little overpriced. I'd have been happier if Apple had made it $300, but I think the second anyone holds the two devices in their hands they will know INSTANTLY which one is worth the money ... oh and the iPad mini doesn't come with ADS ALL OVER IT, or even lock you into one bookstore/retailer ... another thing everyone complains about with Apple but ignores when Amazon does it ...

If you want an Android tablet, that's your choice, but at least buy a Google one ... that way you have a decent chance of getting updates in a timely way.

I've had plastic phones (from Apple, LG, Sprint etc). They're okay, but if you get a chance to get something made of metal and glass with a finish that oozes detail and the best mobile OS on the planet, you buy THAT and you don't complain about it being a little pricier.

Amazon reminds me of a tranny in a blonde wig complaining that there are real blondes with real ... assets ... competing for the boys' attention.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Better late than never, considering a good portion of the staff have been storm-affected.

[JackWebb]

The Fire HD is nothing special and the custom interface is worse than regular android. I'm no Android fan since I find so many issues with the OS but when you compare a Nexus 7 32GB with mobile internet for $299 against an iPod mini 32GB with mobile internet for $559, the 86% price difference is just too much. The Nexus 7 is much faster than the Fire HD.

iPod mini pros are ability to use Verizon, nicer look and feel, thinner, lighter, better real working OS without geeky anomalies, airplay, better sync and software
Nexus 7 pros are higher resolution screen, USB micro connector, more geeky freedom to install non-standard apps, far less expensive

[Pierre]

Why are mommy and daddy fighting...my two most fave people? Even though the old Kindle Fire was subpar.