Apple has introduced a new billboard ad campaign touting not just the iPad and iPad mini, but drawing particular attention to their shared library of 300,000 apps, a notable departure from the ads of Samsung and other tablet vendors.
Amazon's Kindle Fire — and, to a lesser extent, Android tablets — saw continued usage share growth after the holidays, according to a new report, but Apple's iPads remained the overwhelming tablet leader, with more than 80 percent of active users in the market.
Amazon's Kindle platform saw its biggest sales day ever during the "Cyber Monday" shopping event, though the online retailer still refuses to disclose any actual sales data.
Amazon has pulled an advertisement from its website slamming the iPad mini after it was discovered that Apple's 7.9-inch tablet does in fact feature stereo speakers.
As Apple sold out of its launch inventory of all iPad mini models, online retailer Amazon made a direct assault on the new 7.9-inch tablet, with a large ad on its front page saying the Kindle Fire HD offers "much more for much less."
Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller has publicly come to the defense of the $329 entry price of the iPad mini, saying he believes customers are willing to pay for quality that rivals like Amazon and Google don't offer.
Tablet makers have failed to compete with Apple in the $400-and-up market segment, and a new, smaller iPad priced below $300 is only expected to make matters worse for the competition.
Amazon is reportedly looking to bolster its mobile device division by purchasing the smartphone chip division of Texas Instruments.
A mockup of a 7.85-inch iPad has been photographed next to a Google Nexus 7 and 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, giving a better idea of what Apple's new, smaller tablet is expected to look like.
The race to offer the lowest-priced tablet on the market is rumored to reach a new level later this year, with Google reportedly planning to release a $99 Nexus 7 tablet.
Barnes & Noble has announced two new tablets in its latest Nook lineup, led by a larger 9-inch model that will compete more directly with Apple's iPad, as well as the new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD.
Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD undercuts the competition by presenting advertisements to users on both the device's lock screen and home screen, helping to subsidize its low price.
Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD lineup offers a variety of options at aggressive price points, but Apple's iPad — particularly with the anticipated October launch of a so-called "iPad mini" — is expected to remain the market leader.
Amazon took a direct shot at Apple on Thursday when it unveiled its new Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE, with the same $499 starting price as Apple's current generation iPad. But the main selling point is a new $50-per-year, 250-megabyte-per-month 4G LTE data plan.
Amazon on Thursday announced its new Kindle lineup, led by a 16-gigabyte 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD priced at $299, along with a $199 7-inch model, an updated $159 Kindle Fire with a faster processor, and a new e-ink frontlit Kindle Paperwhite starting at $119.
Countering recent rumors, a report on Friday claims Amazon won't be taking the wraps off a new larger-screened Kindle Fire at its upcoming media event next week, a device some speculated the company would announce as a challenge to Apple's iPad.
Amazon on Thursday issued a press release boasting that its Kindle Fire has accounted for 22 percent of tablet sales in the U.S., but still did not publicly state exactly how many tablets the company has sold.
Amazon has announced that it will hold a media event on Sept. 6, prompting speculation that the company plans to unveil a new lineup of Kindle tablets and e-readers.
Apple retained the lion's share of the tablet market in the second quarter of 2012, dominating with a 68.2 percent market share.
Amazon is expected to dramatically increase its Kindle Fire tablet lineup from just one model to five or six, according to a new report.
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Daniel Eran Dilger
Kevin Bostic
AppleInsider Staff
Sam Oliver
Katie Marsal
Neil Hughes
