New Tablets from Amazon Incoming
24 Jul 2012 / 10:27am / By Michael Low & Andy Sim
Image credit: Amazon.com
Mr. Demos Parneros, President of U.S. Retail for Staples Inc, has indicated that Amazon is set to release up to six new tablets soon, including a 10-inch model to compete with Apple's iPad. Staples Inc is a mega-office supply chain store in the States which carries the current Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.
Amazon's spokespeople, however, have declined to comment on the company's forthcoming plans according to Reuter's report. The first 7-inch Kindle Fire SKU was launched in America last year. Besides the iPad's presence, Amazon has been feeling the heat recently following the Nexus 7's launch. Google's 16GB tablet is apparently "sold out" in the States, and is no longer available from Google's Play Store. The 8GB Nexus 7, on the other hand, is reportedly in stock.
The Kindle Fire has come under fire of late for its poor build quality and cumbersome software applications. And it is critical that Amazon counteracts this negative outlook with haste, since their tablet is an ideal vehicle for the company to market its digital wares such as apps, music, movies, and games.
It is unclear if Mr. Parneros was referring to permutations of the Kindle Fire, or a mixture of Kindle e-book readers and tablets. His statement, however, does echo the sentiments of industry observers who expect Amazon to introduce new tablets in time for the year-end festive season.
When the Kindle Fire was released, it was a game changer. The philosophy of a low priced tablet that would primarily provide access to Amazon's service was a spin on the product that had not been seen before. The experiment was such as success that even Google followed their lead with their Nexus 7.
New Kindle Fire products are expected to be launched end July or early August. If Reuters is to be believed, the five or six stock keeping units will be including a 10-inch model. The report from Reuters is based on information supplied by an executive at Staples, which sells the Kindle Fire.
The success of the Nexus 7 has made a response from Amazon essential. Offering a larger form factor should instantly differentiate the Kindle Fire from its Android competitor, but puts it in a head to head contest with Apple's iPad.
Source: Reuters and The Telegraph
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