The world’s largest online retailer, unveiled its Kindle Fire tablet computer, taking aim at Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s bestselling iPad with a device that’s smaller and less than half the price.
The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with $499 for Apple’s cheapest iPad, Amazon executives said in interviews with Bloomberg Businessweek. The device, a souped-up version of the Kindle electronic-book reader, will run on Google Inc.’s Android software, the Seattle-based company said. Amazon also introduced a touch-screen version of its e-reader, to be called Kindle Touch.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is betting he can harness Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce to pose a real challenge to Apple’s iPad, after tablets from rivals such as Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and Research In Motion Ltd. have fallen short. Sales of Amazon’s electronic books, movies and music on the device may help make up for the narrower profit margins that are likely to result from the low price, said Brian Blair, an analyst at Wedge Partners Corp. in New York.
“Amazon is really the only other guy, the only other potential tablet player, that has a similar offering to what Apple has,” Blair said in an interview last week. “If you look across their product offerings, they have content that none of the other tablet makers currently have because they have content on the media side.”
IPad Appeal
The Kindle Fire will have a 7-inch display and sell for $199, compared with $499 for Apple’s cheapest iPad, Amazon executives said in interviews with Bloomberg Businessweek. The device, a souped-up version of the Kindle electronic-book reader, will run on Google Inc.’s Android software, the Seattle-based company said. Amazon also introduced a touch-screen version of its e-reader, to be called Kindle Touch.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is betting he can harness Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce to pose a real challenge to Apple’s iPad, after tablets from rivals such as Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and Research In Motion Ltd. have fallen short. Sales of Amazon’s electronic books, movies and music on the device may help make up for the narrower profit margins that are likely to result from the low price, said Brian Blair, an analyst at Wedge Partners Corp. in New York.
“Amazon is really the only other guy, the only other potential tablet player, that has a similar offering to what Apple has,” Blair said in an interview last week. “If you look across their product offerings, they have content that none of the other tablet makers currently have because they have content on the media side.”
IPad Appeal
While the Kindle Fire can vie with the iPad in access to media content, it lacks a camera, microphone or a connection to a 3G wireless network. It may not appeal to consumers who are drawn to the iPad’s larger screen and willing to pay a premium for added features such as video chat.
“The Amazon tablet is not necessarily a direct competitor to the iPad,” said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. in San Francisco, in a telephone interview. Another version of the Kindle may debut next year with more features to directly compete with Apple, he said. Right now, “the price point is the headline rather than the functionality.”
Starting today, customers can order the new tablet, as well as a basic version of the Kindle e-reader for $79 and two new touch-screen readers, one for $99 and another for $149 that has 3G wireless access. The lowest-priced Kindle can ship today, the tablet will go out Nov. 15, and touch-screen readers will be released Nov. 21, Amazon said.
The Kindle Fire offers Wi-Fi connectivity and comes with a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s $79-a-year membership service that includes streaming video and free two- day shipping. A web browser called Amazon Silk will use so- called cloud computing to speed access to content over the Internet. The tablet will be available on Amazon’s website and at retailers that already sell the Kindle e-readers.
Amazon has painted over the rough surfaces of Google’s Android operating system with a fresh and easy-to-use interface and tied the device closely to its own large and growing content library of movies, magazines and music. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Forrester Research Inc. predicts the tablet market will grow 51 percent a year through 2015.
“The Amazon tablet is not necessarily a direct competitor to the iPad,” said Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. in San Francisco, in a telephone interview. Another version of the Kindle may debut next year with more features to directly compete with Apple, he said. Right now, “the price point is the headline rather than the functionality.”
Starting today, customers can order the new tablet, as well as a basic version of the Kindle e-reader for $79 and two new touch-screen readers, one for $99 and another for $149 that has 3G wireless access. The lowest-priced Kindle can ship today, the tablet will go out Nov. 15, and touch-screen readers will be released Nov. 21, Amazon said.
The Kindle Fire offers Wi-Fi connectivity and comes with a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the company’s $79-a-year membership service that includes streaming video and free two- day shipping. A web browser called Amazon Silk will use so- called cloud computing to speed access to content over the Internet. The tablet will be available on Amazon’s website and at retailers that already sell the Kindle e-readers.
Amazon has painted over the rough surfaces of Google’s Android operating system with a fresh and easy-to-use interface and tied the device closely to its own large and growing content library of movies, magazines and music. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Forrester Research Inc. predicts the tablet market will grow 51 percent a year through 2015.
The Kindle Fire is the most interesting since it is able to install and run apps from the Amazon App Store (the equivalent of Google’s Android Market).
Amazon Kindle Fire
7-inch IPS multi-touch display @ 1024×600 pixel
Dual-core processor
8GB internal storage
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
micro-USB 2.0 port
3.5mm audio jack
Amazon App Store
Amazon claims up to 7.5 hours video playback on single charge, not bad for a 7-inch tablet (although the BB Playbook can do up to 10 hours). It’s a little longer when reading ebooks at 8 hours.
The Kindle Fire also comes with Amazon Silk, a cloud-accelerated web browser. Amazon will also offer free, unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content (apps, movies, music, ebooks, etc.).
The Kindle Fire will retail for only $199 and starts shipping on November 15.
Note though that the prices quoted above are the ones that come with Special Offer which are basically advertising that shows up when the Kindle is on screensaver.
The prices, without the Special Offers, are the following:
New Kindle: $109
Kindle Touch: $139
Kindle Touch 3G: $189
Kindle Fire: $199 (no Special Offers)
Amazon Kindle Fire
7-inch IPS multi-touch display @ 1024×600 pixel
Dual-core processor
8GB internal storage
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
micro-USB 2.0 port
3.5mm audio jack
Amazon App Store
Amazon claims up to 7.5 hours video playback on single charge, not bad for a 7-inch tablet (although the BB Playbook can do up to 10 hours). It’s a little longer when reading ebooks at 8 hours.
The Kindle Fire also comes with Amazon Silk, a cloud-accelerated web browser. Amazon will also offer free, unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content (apps, movies, music, ebooks, etc.).
The Kindle Fire will retail for only $199 and starts shipping on November 15.
Note though that the prices quoted above are the ones that come with Special Offer which are basically advertising that shows up when the Kindle is on screensaver.
The prices, without the Special Offers, are the following:
New Kindle: $109
Kindle Touch: $139
Kindle Touch 3G: $189
Kindle Fire: $199 (no Special Offers)
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-28/amazon-unveils-199-kindle-fire-tablet.html
http://www.yugatech.com/blog/toys-gadgets/amazon-announces-kindle-touch-touch-3g-fire/
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