Kindle Fire HD 8.9" $269 - Amazon

the amazon ecosystem can be found on the ipad and android devices. of the xxxx amount of kindles sold my guess are 5% are rooted.

It is the closest to the iPad in everything pre-configured, pre-populated media consumption device but without the premium price for regular consumers. Combined with very easy to get going with free media access for Prime members, it gives people a lot of reasons to use a tablet, not just do web browsing and mail without configuring anything as may be required with other tablets. This is what is needed in the mass adoption maket. Nook comes second and Samsung a distant third with not as much media choices unless you work at it. Techy geeks will never understand this.

It has decent specs and better in some aspects (e.g., dual band wifi radio) and the mass market does not care for hair-splitting specs that geeks spout for bragging rights. Linux is very open and configurable but not right for mass adoption.

As a developer, Kindle is a better platform than Samsung or Google tablets because penetration is much higher than either of those, easier to monetize with less worries of piracy as more people already have purchase accounts with Amazon than with Google and the apps are encrypted by Amazon unlike in Google play and are pirated almost immediately.

A better device in specs is not necessarily the best devic for a consumer market, not that the HD is lagging in any serious ways except in geek circles.

I dont believe thats completely true.

Some people are just really set in the Amazon ecosystem.

But, I think a lot of people root the kindle

I don't understand why the Kindle Fire stays relevant. Its locked down and outclassed by every device in its price range.