New York - Tablet computers are supposed to be fun devices for reading, watching videos and browsing the Internet.
So when an analyst uses the word “vaporise'' to describe what a tablet is going to do, it gets our attention.
That's what Evercore Partners' Robert Cihra did in describing the effect of Amazon' Kindle Fire, which hit stores in November.
Cihra believes the Kindle Fire “may just vaporise other 'for profit' Android tablet(s),'' to say nothing of the non-Android tablets.
Those looking for a more affordable tablet will be drawn to the sleek seven-inch device, as Cihra thinks it will make up 50 percent of Android tablet sales in 2012. That's bad news for the Samsungs and Motorolas of the world - not to mention Research in Motion and its Blackberry Playbook.
Yet while the Kindle Fire was initially seen as a threat to the iPad, Cihra is the latest analyst to see the two as belonging to distinct markets.
As he notes, “Apple goes on as the only vendor able to cream off the most profitable segment of each market it targets, whether tablet, smartphone or PC.'' - Reuters