Amazon Kindle Fire

Netflix rolled out an improved Android app today, and promised iPad owners would be getting the same “new tablet experience" in a few weeks. The app's release coincides with the launch of the Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet. The new app aims to offer a better experience while browsing and selecting movies. The movies will feature larger artwork making it easier to swipe through using the iPad's touch screen interface.

Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix, said "the new Netflix interface offers a significant improvement in browsing and searching for TV shows and movies to instantly watch."

A recent report by Retrevo already has some tech bloggers crowning the Amazon Kindle Fire as the new king of tablets. The survey showed that 44 percent of new tablet buyers would consider the Kindle Fire over the iPad 2.

The Kindle Fire's $200 price tag and 16,000 apps is what sets it apart from other so-called "iPad killers" of the past. Retrevo points to the iPad's age, and size as another reason some consumers are considering going with Android this holiday season. The Kindle Fire will be available just in time for the holidays, and right when the iPad 2 is starting to seem old. But Apple doesn't seem to be worried and they probably shouldn't be.

Time to stock up on your grains of salt, and strap yourself in for a long ride of iPad 3 and iPad 2S rumors. According to the DigiTimes, Apple is planning on launching a new thinner iPad 2 in March, not the iPad 3. The next generation iPad is currently rumored to be suffering from manufacturing problems that will push its release to Q3 of 2012. The iPad 3's rumored 2048 x 1536 Retina display is reportedly proving difficult for Samsung and LG Display to produce, and is the cause for the delay.

Analysts are also predicting Apple will release an "iPad mini" in 2012. The lower entry-level iPad could feature a 7-inch display with the same resolution as the iPad 2.

These are basically the same iPhone 5 and 4S rumors we heard in back August. Analysts and tech bloggers claimed there would be a newly designed iPhone 5 and a low priced iPhone 4S on the market in October. However, they were supposed to be released at the same time, not months apart.

The iPad mini rumors are starting to pick up steam again. On Monday, analyst Brian White told investors he believed Apple would launch a "lower entry-level" iPad in 2012. White said the name "iPad mini" didn't reflect the size of the new iPad, just the price. White is most likely referring to comments made by Steve Jobs in 2010. Jobs said 7-inch tablets would be useless and dead on arrival when asked about a possible 7-inch iPad.

Apple may have changed their minds about 7-inch tablets after Amazon's new affordable Kindle sold so well. On Tuesday, UND reported LG Display and AU Optronic sent samples of a 7.85-inch display to Apple for approval. The rumored tablet is said to have the same resolution as the iPad 2.

Apple fans might not be ready to hear this news, but the recent HP TouchPad fire sale and the new Amazon Kindle have brought about a transformation in the tablet market. A lot of people view tablets as a luxury, not a necessity, and they're not willing to shell out $500 for an "oversized iPhone." The iPad may be great for business and working on the go, but the Kindle Fire is perfect for people looking to kill time at the airport or entertain their children. A tablet doesn't need all the bells and whistles for people to play Facebook games or color on Dora the Explorer.

All these reasons are why it would make sense for Apple to release a lower entry-level iPad in 2012. After talking with Taiwanese and Chinese component suppliers, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White thinks that's exactly what Apple plans to do. White believes Apple will release the iPad mini in the first few months of 2012.