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Dell's (DELL) is about to start thinking that it's newer Mini 5 hybrid device will be an Apple (AAPL) iPad competitor. Each device has not even been released yet, and there are competitive stirrings already afoot. The Dell unit, which looks like a large smartphone but not quite as large as a tablet computer, will bring a ton of Amazon (AMZN) services to bear in order to try and compete with the Apple content ecosystem that will surely blow all others away once the iPad starts shipping next month. Can an Amazon Kindle e-reader application pre-loaded on Dell's device really give an iPad a run for its money?
The Kindle has one edge on the iPad: it's been out longer, has a very good customer following and reputation and it already in its second generation. The problem: it's limited (to a large degree) as an e-reader device, not a multi-purpose multimedia platform (albeit one that can't multitask). Dell's unit runs the Android operating system, which is a Google (GOOG) product. So, perhaps we'll look at this as more of an Apple-vs- Google situation, with Dell just providing the somewhat-commodity hardware. That's a fight that is only destined to get uglier before it gets better.
Dell and Apple have competed on a hardware level for years. This new fight will combine a strong (but recently fledgling) Dell with a very strong Google against Apple -- and this time, the fight is more about software than how sleek and light the hardware device is. Dell's unit, though, is curious. It's smaller than the iPad, has more features (as is anything non-Apple) and will probably cost less than the entry-level iPad's $499 price. The limits of the iPhone, though, have not stopped customers from buying them, which is a testament to Apple's marketing brilliance more than anything. This still won't be an easy sell for Dell, as the iPad is not just a glorified e-reader. Far from it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-16-2010 @ 7:20AM
Lambrettamike said...
1. the iPad will also have an Amazon Kindle app (app for that!), so level playing field.
2. the only edge the Kindle device has is the edge, or ledge, it is going to fall off once the iPad ships.
3. The competition between Dell & Apple has never been about hardware, unless you mean that Apple hardware is ultra cool. The defining factor has always been the combination, hardware & software & the Apple experience defining ecosystem.
4. Rest of the commentary is spot on.