@mcwong1
Except that Amazon's Kindle platform is even more closed and restrictive in other ways.
Jason, you say Amazon is the lesser of two evils, but what about their far more restrictive hardware?
Apple has no problems allowing rivals to provide their apps on the iOS platform. Does Amazon allowed competing ebook stores on the Kindles? No, you're locked into buying your content from Amazon. How else can they sustain their loss-leader hardware model?
In contrast Apple allows Barns & Noble, Amazon and any other ebook retailer or store to exist on the iOS platform. Likewise, Apple has no problems allowing rival music stores, video and all sorts of other content.
Also, you talk about how wonderfully cheap Amazon hardware is, but you neglect to mention how much less capable the various Kindles are as general purpose tablets. Even the Kindle Fire is lacking in so many areas:
No Audio in or audio recording so no VOIP or capturing lecture audio or audio for projects. Not to mention Android's abysmal lack of support for low latency audio.
No front or back cameras so no video Skype, photo documentation, HD video capture or editing.
No Bluetooth so no external wireless keyboard for long form text entry or wireless audio systems or headsets or hands free car kits.
No 3-way gyroscope or digital compass or GPS, so no accurate motion sensing game or app control or augmented reality or navigation apps.
No 3G so no ubiquitous Internet connectivity option.
And don't even get me started on the limitations of the cheaper black and white Kindles.
You bemoan the expense of Apple's iPad but neglect the fact that students would have to buy a Kindle PLUS another tablet or laptop to get anything like the same capabilities of the "expensive" iPad.
Then of course there is the enormous gulf in app availability. Android and even more so the Amazon App Store are wastelands in terms of other educational apps or apps in other categories. And then there is the 45% of Android apps that are spamware or the 700+ malware apps or the legions of copyright infringing apps. Do you really want to load all of that on poor old overloaded educational IT support areas?
No, Amazon might like to think it is a viable alternative to the iPad and iBooks in Education, but boy what a lot of extra baggage and limitations they bring to the table!
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