Transitions in Technology: Tracing the Rise of Tablets

When PCs first came onto the market, they were large, bulky computers that took up a good portion of desks. Later, as technology advanced, these bulky computers were ignored by many who opted to use smaller portable laptops. As the Macintosh laptop line entered the market, offering consumers products that were slimmer, lighter, and more compact than ever before, other companies strove to do the same. Soon it became evident that in the world of personal electronic devices, "bigger" was not necessarily "better."

The popularity of products such as the iPhone and its Android competitors showed that consumers were interested in combining formerly separate parts of their technological life all into one convenient device. Through these inventions, people were finally able to easily take pictures, talk on the phone, and browse the internet without the need for three separate devices for each task. However, the success of the iPad brought about an interesting point: people were still interested in more "computer-sized" creations in addition to their already "phone-sized" gadgets. Perhaps most popular among the business and student populations, iPads were hailed as the perfect solution for taking notes in classes or meetings. Their larger screens, in this case, were actually more appealing than their "Palm Pilot" predecessors.

Today, the world of technology has continued to expand to embrace yet the newest of a line of these hand-held, multi-functional devices: Tablets. Amazon's "Kindle Fire" will soon become the latest of these tablets on the market, with a recently announced release date of November 15 in the United States. With an opening selling price of $199, the Fire is likely to be embraced by techies everywhere as the perfect option for a device that combines a powerful processor with a decently low price.

The Kindle Fire is set to be a main competitor to Barnes and Noble's already released color "Nook" tablet and can even be seen as a competitor to Apple's iPad. In fact, priced much cheaper than most of its competitors' tablets (including Samsung, Apple, and Motorola), the Fire offers users a modified version of Google's current Android operating system. However, with the announcement of the Fire, Amazon was wise enough to by no means ignore their previous Kindle models. Instead, as the Fire is released, the prices for both of the original Kindle models could drop down even as much as $20 from the current marketing price.

As the Kindle Fire enters the technological market, it is most likely to receive a warm embrace. Consumers responses to tablets similar to it have been positive and show that while "do it all" devices (like the iPhone) are loved, there will continue to be a market for more specialized tools that focus on one aspect of entertainment, such as reading media.