Since its release last month, industry pundits have debated whether the low-cost Amazon kindle fire will be the one to disrupt the immense market lead enjoyed by the Apple iPad. Earlier discussions point to the fire as the best competitor yet...
There have been plenty of candidates, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom and RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook. So far, none have come close to clutching the coattails of the iPad.
This has held true in both the consumer and enterprise markets. The latter has been a goldmine for Apple and opened a door which had previously been sealed shut, where such devices were once perceived as entirely consumer-focused. The door has steadily creaked open as more companies experience the benefits of the iPad with use of a mobile device management platform.
The kindle fire is the latest competitor looking to knock the iPad from its throne. Based on Amazon's line of popular Kindle eReaders, the device sports a pared-down version of Google's Android mobile operating system.
But can it compete with the iPad in the enterprise segment? This was the topic of a recent IT World Canada report, where several experts weighed in on the idea of business professionals making use of the kindle fire.
One area that is sure to please any IT administrator's mobile expense concerns is the device's price tag. At a low-end price of $199, the tablet by all accounts is a robust and formidable offering.
What's more, the device gives users direct access to Amazon's high-powered network and one of the largest and most popular cloud services on the market. It may not be up there with Apple in the application department, but this figures to change the longer it is on the market. Once developers get their bearings straight with the device, companies can expect an influx of new offerings tailored to the mobile professional's needs.
So, if your company is among the many looking leverage tablets as a part of an enterprise mobility program, the low-cost, highly versatile kindle fire is worth a look. What are your thoughts?
