The Kindle Fire in particular is selling well, primarily because the Amazon media experience is almost as good as Apple's. I don't think that's tautologically useless: there is a market there, but apparently you need to spend a _lot_ of time writing the software - Apple had a decade to get iTunes to where it is today.
Amazon seems to understand that and has taken total responsibility for the software on the Kindle Fire, to the point they forked Android. I think that's a mistake long-term but short-term they get this one thing: Apple's hardware comes with Apple's software, and it is the combination that is so valuable.
P.S. It took me forever to research these tablets and post this list. The experience of trying to find a decent Android tablet is incredibly frustrating (unless you just go straight to the Nexus 7). The prices are all over the place, which to me indicates junk marked up to catch unwary buyers. The reviews are pretty scathing about poor build quality, unusable Android builds, and horrible customer service. All of that has an effect on the marketplace.
Some tablets in the $50 - $700 range: (excluding used tablets, price rounded to the nearest dollar)
$60-$80 Archos 28: 2.8" 320x240 16-bit LCD, Android 2.2, 4GB flash. Junk: nobody wants a tablet with a 2.8" screen.
$65-$204 Coby MID8120: 8" 800x600 16-bit LCD, Android 2.3, 4GB flash. Junk: Resistive touchscreen. Android 2.3 in 2012? Can't run Netflix.
Ok, here are some that are not as junky:
$130-$300 Amazon Kindle Fire: 7" 1024x600 24-bit LCD, not Android but like 2.3, 8GD flash.
$190-$591 Samsung Galaxy Tab 2: 7" 1024x600 24-bit LCD, Android 4.0, 8GB flash.
$215-$600 Asus Transformer TF300: 10.1" 1280x800 24-bit LCD, Android 4.0, 32GB flash.
$399 Apple iPad 2: 9.7" 1024x768 24-bit LCD, iOS, 16GB flash.
The Kindle Fire in particular is selling well, primarily because the Amazon media experience is almost as good as Apple's. I don't think that's tautologically useless: there is a market there, but apparently you need to spend a _lot_ of time writing the software - Apple had a decade to get iTunes to where it is today.
Amazon seems to understand that and has taken total responsibility for the software on the Kindle Fire, to the point they forked Android. I think that's a mistake long-term but short-term they get this one thing: Apple's hardware comes with Apple's software, and it is the combination that is so valuable.
P.S. It took me forever to research these tablets and post this list. The experience of trying to find a decent Android tablet is incredibly frustrating (unless you just go straight to the Nexus 7). The prices are all over the place, which to me indicates junk marked up to catch unwary buyers. The reviews are pretty scathing about poor build quality, unusable Android builds, and horrible customer service. All of that has an effect on the marketplace.