Amazon finally announces Kindle Fire. An iPad, Nook killer?
After months of speculation and rumors, internet shopping giant Amazon formally announces its tablet computer, the Amazon Kindle Fire, at the company’s Kindle-centric press conference on Wednesday. The new Kindle Fire is not just a Nook Color rival, but also Apple’s biggest threat, because Amazon will play in the tablet market by implementing a cheaper price tag.
The Kindle Fire, sporting the tag price of $199 only and will start shipping on November 15, boasts a 7-inch full color touchscreen LCD, dual-core CPU, cloud storage free onboard for digital purchases, wireless syncing like other high-end devices, and the company’s new self branded Amazon Silk web browser. According to Amazon, the Silk web browser is faster than any other web browsers because it is cloud-based . Amazon is also offering Kindle Fire users a month free of the Amazon Prime.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire is a media-centric device because the tablet is pre-installed with the company’s own app store and easy access to Amazon’s Kindle e-book store and online store. It is also quite obvious that Amazon is offering a cheaper tablet to increase its digital media revenue because more users means more online purchases.
The tablet leader, Apple, is offering the iPad for $499, and the company is still selling millions of iPads every quarter. Apple is also enjoying millions of online purchases with the iPad like apps, e-books and digital magazines. It is highly possible that Amazon wants its own vibrant ecosystem that purchases by using credit card directly on the Kindle Fire.
Aside from the iPad, the Kindle Fire is also challenging Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color ($249), with Kindle Fire’s cheaper price tag and more advanced specs by using TI OMAP 4 dual-core processor which is the same processor used by high-end Android smartphones.
Many analysts believe that Kindle Fire is a strong competitor of the iPad and the Nook Color and other Android-based tablets. Amazon’s internet presence and the money to burn just to promote the Kindle Fire, could help the company to reach millions sales before the end of this year.
The release date of the Kindle Fire is also a no shocker, which is 10 days before the US Black Friday 2011, a special shopping holiday. Amazon will retail the Kindle Fire in their own web store. The Kindle Fire is shipping in United States only. Canada and other countries like United Kingdom and Germany are not yet getting the Kindle Fire.
This report was originally posted on PopHerald.com, under Gadgets and Mobile Category.
