Amazon tablets coming in September, suppliers say
Taiwanese component makers said Wednesday that Amazon is set to release tablets in August or September on its way to a sales target of 4 million units in 2011.
The launch is timed to gain momentum ahead of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays in the U.S. and Europe, a source told DigiTimes. Monthly shipments are expected to reach 700,000-800,000 units.
According to the report, Amazon will utilize processors from Texas Instruments and touch panels from Wintek, with Quanta to assemble the devices. Sources also said Amazon would provide streaming movie services for the tablets.
Rumors of an Amazon-branded tablet have swirled for some time. In May, DigiTimes alleged that Amazon would partner with E-Ink Holdings to build a full color touchscreen tablet.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos declined to confirm during a recent interview that his company was working on such a device, but did say to "stay tuned" on the company's plans. Bezos did say that any tablet Amazon built would supplement the Kindle e-reader. ?We will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device,? he said.
Though the iPad was initially viewed as a challenger to the Kindle, which arrived in 2007, subsequent priced drops to the e-reader have kept them apart. Last December, Amazon revealed that the third-generation Kindle was its best-selling product ever, despite the fact that many purchasers already owned an iPad.
Amazon pushed the prices of the Kindle down even further in May by releasing ad-supported versions of the Wi-Fi Kindle and Kindle 3G for a $25 discount.
Unlike the Kindle, however, an Amazon tablet is expected to compete directly with the iPad. Analysts see the combination of Amazon's video, music and app digital storefronts with an Amazon-branded Android tablet as posing a threat to the profitable iTunes, App Store and iPad ecosystem that Apple has created.
?Apple has frequently spoken of the power of the number of credit card users iTunes has; Amazon is the only other player in the industry to have something similar. Amazon also has consumer?s trust that has been built up over more than a decade of good service,? Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair said last month.
Meanwhile, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicts the rumored Amazon tablet will sell as many as 2.4 million units in 2012. That figure, however, is substantially lower than the 4 million devices that DigiTimes claims Amazon is aiming to sell by the end of 2011.
Apple and Amazon are currently locked in a disagreement over the "App Store" trademark. Despite a trademark infringement suit from Apple over the "Amazon Appstore for Android," the online retailer went ahead and launched its mobile applications storefront in March. Apple stated in an updated filing in its ongoing complaint against Amazon that the company's service "is inferior and will tarnish Apple's mark."
The launch is timed to gain momentum ahead of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays in the U.S. and Europe, a source told DigiTimes. Monthly shipments are expected to reach 700,000-800,000 units.
According to the report, Amazon will utilize processors from Texas Instruments and touch panels from Wintek, with Quanta to assemble the devices. Sources also said Amazon would provide streaming movie services for the tablets.
Rumors of an Amazon-branded tablet have swirled for some time. In May, DigiTimes alleged that Amazon would partner with E-Ink Holdings to build a full color touchscreen tablet.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos declined to confirm during a recent interview that his company was working on such a device, but did say to "stay tuned" on the company's plans. Bezos did say that any tablet Amazon built would supplement the Kindle e-reader. ?We will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device,? he said.
Though the iPad was initially viewed as a challenger to the Kindle, which arrived in 2007, subsequent priced drops to the e-reader have kept them apart. Last December, Amazon revealed that the third-generation Kindle was its best-selling product ever, despite the fact that many purchasers already owned an iPad.
Amazon pushed the prices of the Kindle down even further in May by releasing ad-supported versions of the Wi-Fi Kindle and Kindle 3G for a $25 discount.
Unlike the Kindle, however, an Amazon tablet is expected to compete directly with the iPad. Analysts see the combination of Amazon's video, music and app digital storefronts with an Amazon-branded Android tablet as posing a threat to the profitable iTunes, App Store and iPad ecosystem that Apple has created.
?Apple has frequently spoken of the power of the number of credit card users iTunes has; Amazon is the only other player in the industry to have something similar. Amazon also has consumer?s trust that has been built up over more than a decade of good service,? Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair said last month.
Meanwhile, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicts the rumored Amazon tablet will sell as many as 2.4 million units in 2012. That figure, however, is substantially lower than the 4 million devices that DigiTimes claims Amazon is aiming to sell by the end of 2011.
Apple and Amazon are currently locked in a disagreement over the "App Store" trademark. Despite a trademark infringement suit from Apple over the "Amazon Appstore for Android," the online retailer went ahead and launched its mobile applications storefront in March. Apple stated in an updated filing in its ongoing complaint against Amazon that the company's service "is inferior and will tarnish Apple's mark."
Comments
Why not 40 million.
Yes, I'm biased, but I'd argue that iOS (iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad) are a platform. Yes, the iPhone 3G is not getting iOS 5, so it's updates life was 3 years. However, mobile smart platforms are in their infancy and there was a time when computers were obsolete in 3 years. the hardware is catching up now and the length of use will increase with newer devices. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine Android as a full platform because of the fragmentation. For those phones that come out endlessly and get replaced quickly...just too short term! And whether or not those devices will get updated period, it's just uncertain! So, tablets that you buy once, hope to find some reasonable software and not get spammed or have your private information stolen, then watch as the Android platform advances but the company that made your tablet couldn't sell enough and has no motivation to upgrade your experience...
And what will an Amazon tablet run? If not Android I'd say it's a waste of time. Books on kindle, great. Kindle is lightweight, great for reading in the sun. Fits its purpose. This rumored tablet really couldn't be much better than a colored Kindle with a few bits of glam, right? If it is a full tablet not running Android, then even though you can count on Amazon being around and continuing it, you can't count on developers wanting to develop for a ton of new platforms. Building up a library of great apps will be slow.
2) I think Amazon has the best chance for competiting with Apple's iPad dominance in the tablet market. No one else has the ecosystem that is as similar.
3) After seeing the latest B&N reader I think they could give Amazon a run for their money if they can get some better marketing going.
People buy.
Their competitors lead with "we'll beat Apple for sure" or "we are 110% confident that we'll sell x number of units".
People buy... Apple's products.
This is the pattern I see.
What OS will it use? Is the Texas Instruments processor an ARM variant?
Amazon opens an Android App Store. Hmm... I'm guessing their new tablet will use Symbian?
Me thinks they'll be lucky to SELL a tenth of that a month. Only my analysis ofc
Is the Texas Instruments processor an ARM variant?
Yes; it's called the OMAP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Instruments_OMAP
The one most likely to be in an Amazon tablet would be the OMAP 4430, which is a 1 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 chip with PowerVR SGX540 graphics. It's very similar to the iPad 2, spec-wise. In fact, it may even be more power-efficient than the iPads, because the OMAP's have circuitry not found in the A5, which reduces power consumption when idle.
All these people racing to make tablets and I just wonder, why would anyone want them? What's the long-term killer feature? How useable are they?
They're pretty usable. Android 3.x is still pretty buggy, but it's getting better with time. When Ice Cream Sandwich is released, that's going to open up the floodgates, as app developers begin to make universal apps that work with tablets or smartphones, on-the-fly, just like iOS. Then, the Android tablet market app count will increase, especially if there's a big name tablet out there, like one from Amazon.
Yes, I'm biased, but I'd argue that iOS (iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad) are a platform. Yes, the iPhone 3G is not getting iOS 5, so it's updates life was 3 years. However, mobile smart platforms are in their infancy and there was a time when computers were obsolete in 3 years. the hardware is catching up now and the length of use will increase with newer devices. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine Android as a full platform because of the fragmentation. ... This rumored tablet really couldn't be much better than a colored Kindle with a few bits of glam, right? If it is a full tablet not running Android, then even though you can count on Amazon being around and continuing it, you can't count on developers wanting to develop for a ton of new platforms. Building up a library of great apps will be slow.
First, Ice Cream Sandwich is going to really help minimize fragmentation, and hardware specs among tablets are already pretty similar. Secondly, have you seen the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet? It's pretty thin and light, and if the Amazon tablet can come in competitively priced to the iPad 2, is similarly small and light, and Ice Cream Sandwich is available, the Amazon tablet will be compelling to a lot of people, especially current Android phone users who want an equal user experience among phones and tablets.
Did you quote Gene Munster for a prediction?
Munster said "A" would hapoen.
That's pretty much a guarantee that "A" won't happen based on his long-established and notably sh*tty track record.
Amazon are in unfortunate situation in that while Kindle does not compete with iPad, iPad does compete with Kindle. I can't imagine anyone carrying both around, so if you have to pick one go for the one that can do all the other things too.
Amazon have to make this work so they may come out swinging with their pricing - heres hoping anyway.
With Jeff Bezos they even have someone who in terms of charisma and presentation skills can stack up again Steve as well.
And they have a very good track record in online customer satisfaction. I have used them for the last 12 years, vere since they started operations in Europa and never ever had one problem with them.
So if anyone should/could get it right, it's gotta be Amazon. If they should fail then the tablet market outside iPad is doomed or niched. And I for once would not mind someone giving Appple a good run for their money, after all we all benefit from this
Amazon may not have the App portfolio as has Apple, but it has the Content portfolio that Apple has. Books, TV, Movies, MP3. Plus they have the (percieved) image on being far more open about it than Apple ever will be.
They do have a lot of content, though their online video offering outside the US is pretty much nil. Their biggest problem is the horrible store UI, they don't have anything remotely as slick as iTunes. Have you ever tried buying downloaded music from them? It's a horrible experience by comparison.
So if anyone should/could get it right, it's gotta be Amazon. If they should fail then the tablet market outside iPad is doomed or niched. And I for once would not mind someone giving Appple a good run for their money, after all we all benefit from this
That's like saying if Walmart can't beat Apple nobody can. Amazon are a retailer that has dabbled in consumer electronics, but only in one category and that category is somewhat unique. If I was in the market for an Android tab I surely wouldn't buy one from them. If it's not an Android tab then I think they'll have huge problems getting consumers.
Besides, who buys an object like a tablet without playing with it? Where are you going to play with the kindle-tab? At one of Amazon's retail stores? Exactly!
Edit: Amazon also has problems in its core kindle market http://www.salon.com/books/amazon/in...06/21/spamazon
They do have a lot of content, though their online video offering outside the US is pretty much nil. Their biggest problem is the horrible store UI, they don't have anything remotely as slick as iTunes. Have you ever tried buying downloaded music from them? It's a horrible experience by comparison.
I get all of my music from Amazon. Their prices are consistently cheaper than Apple's and they have a really slick program that automatically downloads and imports the music into iTunes on Mac OS when it's done. Very quick and very easy after the initial setup is done.
Besides, who buys an object like a tablet without playing with it? Where are you going to play with the kindle-tab? At one of Amazon's retail stores? Exactly!
Where do you play with the Kindle right now? In all of the stores around the world that sell it. Here in the UK just about every electronics store sells them and has demo units and the biggest retailer (3rd biggest retailer in the world), Tesco, has them for sale as well.
They do have a lot of content, though their online video offering outside the US is pretty much nil. Their biggest problem is the horrible store UI, they don't have anything remotely as slick as iTunes. Have you ever tried buying downloaded music from them? It's a horrible experience by comparison.
I guess I'm missing what makes it such a horrible experience. Or very much different than the iTunes experience. The only difference is the need for the intermediary mp3 downloader software, but once that's installed, it's really no different than iTunes. And Amazon has features that iTunes lacks, like being able to see all the different versions of an album on any of album version's product page (including physical versions).
That's like saying if Walmart can't beat Apple nobody can. Amazon are a retailer that has dabbled in consumer electronics, but only in one category and that category is somewhat unique. If I was in the market for an Android tab I surely wouldn't buy one from them.
Why not? It's not like Amazon is actually building the tablet themselves (Apple doesn't really build iPads themselves when you get down to it either). I have more faith that Amazon is in for the long haul versus other sources of Android tablets, considering how they've redesigned their site to emphasize digital media so strongly. And right out of the gate, Amazon has the makings of an ecosystem that is closer to being on par with Apple than anyone else. Toss the Amazon Cloud Player app on the tablet and you've already got one feature that an iPad can't do even with iCloud.
Besides, who buys an object like a tablet without playing with it? Where are you going to play with the kindle-tab? At one of Amazon's retail stores? Exactly!
Maybe at the same retail stores that sell the Kindle, you know, obscure little places Best Buy and Target.
I think the thing that ultimately separates Apple and Microsoft (or IBM in their day) from the rest of the wannabes is that both of those companies know how to create and maintain a computing platform. If Apple had been nothing more than a music player maker, they would not have been able to succeed with the iPhone or the iPad. It's the background with the Mac (and NeXT) which really allows Apple to deliver a complete, coherent computing platform (aka, ecosystem). Steve Jobs has been talking about the functionality of iCloud for more than a decade. He's been thinking about what computers should be his whole life. Same for Bill Gates and company. Amazon and Google don't have those backgrounds and experiences, or the brand that goes with it.
The only reason that Google and Amazon have an opening here to compete with Apple is that Microsoft has become so dysfunctional. This really ought to be an MS vs Apple contest, but MS has gone missing (in much the same way that Apple went missing during the 90s, except without the financial disaster).
Maybe at the same retail stores that sell the Kindle, you know, obscure little places Best Buy and Target.
They have zero retail presence outside the US, and it took how many years for them to get Kindle into retail channels there? 3?
They have zero retail presence outside the US, and it took how many years for them to get Kindle into retail channels there? 3?
But they do have a very deep 1:1 relationship with their many customers. And for some of them (like me), they probably know they clients better than the clients know themselves.
I do not work for them, but if they don't get it right, nobody will.
Plus name any other player (Google excluded) with the server farms in place. Even Netflix runs on AWS....and they migrated there from THEIR DC....