I also have an Apple iPad but it was so expensive that I'm careful where I take it. The Kindle Fire, I can take anywhere and not worry too much about it getting lost, broken or stolen.
I love my Kindle. I use it constantly for lots of Kindle ebook reading, web surfing, and reading of e-mails. Especially great when reading in bed.
I managed to acquire a cheap 7” tablet for evaluation purposes, and it came up somewhat lacking. One of the main drawbacks is the lack of some common capabilities that I have become accustomed to in Linux, such as the native ability to read pdf files.
Another major drawback is that you need to have some manner of wireless access to the net for most of its “potential”. Such as setting proper dates and times. There are no free and open WiFi sources around here.
The unit I have came with a single USB micropower cord and ac adapter charger, but I managed to figure out how to get the computer to at least see the device for now.
I can not access the net through the USB cable, however, which is a major drawback. Among other things, it does not keep accurate time which means I need to continually reconnect to the web for it to reset itself time- and date- wise.
For now, I simply use it as a bookreader (in html format) and occasional vid player -with headphones.