Whereas even two years ago tablets in various shapes and sizes were still selling like hot cakes, global sales have taken a turn for the worse of late. Even Apple, virtual founder of the form factor, has been feeling the pinch ? and Amazon is no Apple.Manufacturers are increasingly targeting the budget end of the market with a slew of polycarbonate slates for the masses, of which Amazon's £50 (US$50) Fire is the latest example; indeed the tablet is so cheap and cheerful that the e-tailer is selling it in multi-packs ? buy five and get a sixth free!Amazon is trying to be everything Apple isn't, and reach every nook and cranny that Cupertino hasn't. While Apple is preaching to the high-end converted, Amazon is setting its sights on every tablet-deprived Tom, Dick and Harry.At such low price points the big question, of course, becomes: what about quality? If spending £399 (US$499) or more on a tablet guarantees a smooth user experience, a machined glass and metal body and class-leading specs, what compromises will inevitably be encountered in the budget knock-off?DesignThe Amazon Fire tablet looks rather like one of those prototype slates you occasionally see in blurry screenshots taken in foreign labs ? and in the hand it feels much the same as you suspect one of those devices might.In short, everything that the iPad is, the Amazon Fire is not.