Although we do not know very well how this story will end and if we will ever regret it, for now the rivalry between Amazon and Google and the one that both companies hold in turn with Apple does not stop giving us benefits to users. The last chapter is about internet of our devices.
Apple's clear dominance in the tablet sector is increasingly threatened by two other giants: Amazon and Google. In Google 's case , its advantage lies in an open-source operating system used by multiple hardware manufacturers to power their devices, powered by a tablet marketed by them. In Amazon 's case , a single device, with its (now) four versions, also based on the previous version's operating system, has been enough to carve out a significant niche. The story of this rivalry could be similar to that of any other tablet manufacturers, were it not for the fact that for neither company—and this is what distinguishes them from Apple—is the hardware its primary focus. This small detail changes everything.
Both Amazon and Google are primarily interested in selling us their content , much more so than their tablets themselves, and precisely for this reason, these tablets are becoming the star products of the market . To win us over as customers of their ecosystems, the two multinationals offer high-quality tablets at prices that have truly revolutionized the sector . The technical specifications of the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 certainly have few rivals on the market that can match their prices.
The battle, perhaps fortunately for us, seems to be taking things a step further. Amazon started by offering free 3G connectivity with its e-readers, presumably to make buying books easier; now it has launched a very affordable data plan ($50 a year) for use with the 4G version of its tablet. Google , meanwhile, has launched a campaign to "give away" Wi-Fi to all Android users, opening more than 4.000 hotspots for free , according to Android Authority . Currently, none of these free hotspots are outside the United States, and there's no word on whether they'll arrive in Europe soon , although it seems likely. If the competition to sell us content began by bringing us quality, inexpensive tablets, it seems the next step is to give us internet access more affordably, or even for free. Welcome to the party.