Amazon To Jump Into The Tablet Arena With A Ringer

Aug 27, 2011 by James

Updates

The Kindle Fire

Amazon has just released its new kindle tablet the Kindle Fire. It is a seven inch tablet that runs a heavily modified version of Google’s Android. It is a dual core cpu with an LCD display and 8GB of on-board memory. The tablet also comes with a new web browser called Silk that allegedly speed up page loading times by processing images and such through Amazon’s cloud servers. It does however lack cameras which many people do love but the pricing point is to their advantage. The highlight of the unveiling was several new deals reached with multimedia companies including Fox, Conde Nast and DC Comics in addition to Amazon’s rapidly expanding movie, music and app stores. All of that with a pricing point about $300 lower than the iPad.

In addition to the Fire, Amazon also released the Kindle Touch ,alongside two other new Kindles, which is a $99 dollar e-reader that stunned analysts. There is also a 3G version of the Kindle Touch that retails for $149. The Kindle Fire is available for pre-order today and will ship on November 15 just in time for the holiday rush. The Kindle Touch can also be pre-ordered now but won’t ship until the 21 of November. The new non-touch Kindle is available for purchase today.

Source: Washington Post

It is CONFIRMED. Thanks to Tech Crunch we now know that the 7 inch tablet being released this year is a reality and we also know the price. Just $250 gets you a full fledged tablet. Amazon has effectively halved the price of the entry level iPad. Tech Crunch got their hands on with the device before anyone else on the condition of no photographs so I will let them fill in the rest of your questions.

Tech Crunch

According to multiple sources that cite Forrester Research, Amazon could ship between 3 and 5 million of a tablet it hasn’t even revealed to the public yet. Forrester Research was basing that educated guess on the speculated low price of $300 for the “Amazon Tablet” which will run Androids Honeycomb software. With this many details emerging so quickly it’s just a matter of time before Amazon makes their debut into the lucrative tablet market.

With tablets being all of the rage these days everyone is looking to either get themselves one or someone close to them. Nearly every major, and minor, PC company in the World has come out with a “competitor” to the iPad since the iPad’s launch just a little over a year ago but none of them have even scratched Apple’s dominance in the market. One company whose e-reader tablets are already hugely popular with consumers and not to mention cheap is going to be jumping into the tablet game with what could be the only true competitor to the iPad. Amazon is creating an Android based tablet that is rumored to be “hundreds less” than the $500 Apple iPad which would make it highly desirable for those who feel $500 is a lot for something that isn’t a laptop. Not only will it be inexpensive but it looks fantastic as well.

According to the Wall Street Journal the “Amazon Tablet” should be making its grand debut this October which is conveniently after all of the hype dies down from Apple’s planned September events. According to BGR Amazon is working on two tablet devices — the entry-level dual-core “Coyote” and the high-end quad-core “Hollywood” — and at least one of them is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks. The WSJ article says that the tablet will have a roughly 9 inch screen and lack a camera but since Amazon is allegedly going to unveil two tablets I’m going to take a stab and say that the “Hollywood” version will sport cameras considering Apple solidified that trend with the iPad 2.

Amazon is better-positioned than other companies to go up against Apple, said Ms. Epps, the Forrester analyst. Part of the reason is because Amazon already has a digital-content store with a significant selection and following. Amazon has heavily promoted its digital offerings this year. It launched a streaming video service in February. And in May, it undercut Apple’s iTunes store by selling an album by pop singer Lady Gaga for 99 cents.

While Amazon has been working on this for quite some time still some remain skeptical that it will be able to compete with Apple. TechCrunch said that it is “no threat to Apple” which I think is pretty unfair to say considering much about the device isn’t known and they don’t have a physical device to hold in their hands. Not only that but all of the tech blogs seem to have a slant in Apple’s favor. While Amazon doesn’t have a physical location to buy from they have made their business on fast, cheap and easy online shopping and it would honestly take people more time to associate Amazon with a physical store rather than an online one. Since the device will be running a version of Google’s Android it will give users much more control over the look and feel of the device when compared Apple. Let’s be real here. It is going to be sold for a lot less than the iPad and by a company that has a fantastic reputation and return policy. If your device suffers from problems because its a first generation I’d be willing to bet Amazon will allow you to return it instead of pulling the “what did you do to it?” game.

Amazon is the first company to have actually taken their time with a device instead of rushing one out the door to get a competitor on the market. They already have a music store, video store and app store that have been in operation for some time which many of you reading this probably have already used. The other blogs are correct that it won’t live up to what Apple releases because no one is as good as Apple at hyping their own products and convincing you that they’re the best. If you’re serious about tablets though then this will be the one to look out for and honestly the only one that has a chance at stealing market share from everyone.

This story will be updated as more information is revealed about the Amazon Tablet. Stay tuned

Source: WSJ Source: BGR