kindle fire vs ipad
Executive Summary by  Doug Gross.
 
With Amazon unveiling its much-anticipated Kindle Fire tablet computer Wednesday, we may finally have a real tablet war on our hands.

In the nearly 18 months since the iPad went on sale, tablet rivals have come and gone. But Apple's device has remained dominant. Amazon's new entry, though, might be different. (Amazon didn't let reporters demo them at Wednesday's launch event.)

Price

Apple's higher prices make the Fire's price tag look like, well, a fire sale. At $199, the Kindle Fire will be a full $300 cheaper than the lowest-priced iPad 2.

Screen size

The iPad has a 9.7-inch display, compared with a 7-inch screen on the Kindle Fire.That screen size is probably a big reason Amazon can offer its tablet at $199 -- touchscreens are expensive to make. On the flip side, the Fire is smaller and 50% lighter than the iPad, and Amazon says it's "easy to hold in one hand."

Features

The Kindle Fire is definitely scaled back from the iPad 2 in several ways. The Fire doesn't have a camera. The iPad also comes in 3G models, albeit at a higher price. The Kindle Fire promises eight hours of battery life, as opposed to 10 hours for the iPad 2.

Finally, the Fire has only 8GB of storage (compared with the iPad 2's bottom end at 16GB) but makes up for it by offering free cloud storage on Amazon's gargantuan bank of servers.

Apps

The Fire will run on a modified version of Google's Android operating system. The iPad, of course, has access to more than 425,000 apps in the Apple Store. So, advantage iPad on this one.

Amazon has, of course, optimized the Fire for its own content, like streaming movies, e-books and music. The iPad has a proven track record and more bells and whistles, although that $199 Kindle Fire price is sure to tempt consumers.