Amazon to take on Apple with own 9-inch Android tablet by holidays
Amazon.com plans to introduce its own brand of tablet computer ahead of the holiday shopping season, a move which is sure to intensify competition with new-found rival Apple.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday that the online retailer plans to base the device around "a roughly nine-inch screen" and Google's Android operating system. It won't, however, design the tablet in-house and will instead be "outsourcing production to an Asian manufacturer."
Amazon in recent years has stepped up its efforts to combat Apple's iTunes ecosystem with its own array of digital media stores for musics, videos, digital books and apps. To this end, its new tablet will let customers watch movies, read eBooks and listen to music they purchase or rent from Amazon.com rather than iTunes.
The device, planned for an introduction ahead of October, will reportedly lack at least one feature now found on iPads: a camera. It will also reportedly follow to market two updated versions of Amazon's popular Kindle electronic reader (review) that will arrive sometime during the current third quarter.
Amazon's existing Kindle 3G eBook reader.
"The two new black-and-white Kindle electronic readers will use the same technology as in the previous Kindles, in which the screens mimic the appearance of ink on paper," the Journal said, citing people who have seen the devices. However, one will be a touch screen version while the other will be an improved and more affordable version of the current Kindle.
Amazon, which claims the Kindle is its best-selling product of all time, lowered the price of its ad-sponsored 3G Kindle on Wednesday to $139 from $164. An ad-free version remains price at $189.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday that the online retailer plans to base the device around "a roughly nine-inch screen" and Google's Android operating system. It won't, however, design the tablet in-house and will instead be "outsourcing production to an Asian manufacturer."
Amazon in recent years has stepped up its efforts to combat Apple's iTunes ecosystem with its own array of digital media stores for musics, videos, digital books and apps. To this end, its new tablet will let customers watch movies, read eBooks and listen to music they purchase or rent from Amazon.com rather than iTunes.
The device, planned for an introduction ahead of October, will reportedly lack at least one feature now found on iPads: a camera. It will also reportedly follow to market two updated versions of Amazon's popular Kindle electronic reader (review) that will arrive sometime during the current third quarter.
Amazon's existing Kindle 3G eBook reader.
"The two new black-and-white Kindle electronic readers will use the same technology as in the previous Kindles, in which the screens mimic the appearance of ink on paper," the Journal said, citing people who have seen the devices. However, one will be a touch screen version while the other will be an improved and more affordable version of the current Kindle.
Amazon, which claims the Kindle is its best-selling product of all time, lowered the price of its ad-sponsored 3G Kindle on Wednesday to $139 from $164. An ad-free version remains price at $189.
Comments
Amazon, which claims the Kindle is its best-selling product of all time ...
And yet they have never actually published sales figures for it - what on earth is that about?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/kin...d-tablet/14416
Surprisingly, the guys over at ZDNet predicted a future tablet like this in November of last year, and matching up with this new report pretty well. If the ZD-predicted price ($349) is anywhere near accurate, they may bring a real contender to the market. No camera? No big deal IMHO.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/kin...d-tablet/14416
It's iPod all over again, everything but the real thing will fail. This product is zuned.
It's iPod all over again, everything but the real thing will fail. This product is zuned.
If it's a better device than the NookColor, priced under $400 at intro, they may sell a few million of these IMO. The Nook has done well as a basic tablet, and Amazon's offering is reported to be a full-flavored device with full AndroidMarket/Android AppStore access, unlike B&N's heavily curated market.
If it's a better device than the NookColor, priced under $400 at intro, they may sell a few million of these IMO. The Nook has done well as a basic tablet, and Amazon's offering is reported to be a full-flavored device with full AndroidMarket/Android AppStore access, unlike B&N's heavily curated market.
Surprisingly, the guys over at ZDNet predicted a future tablet like this in November of last year, and matching up with this new report pretty well. If the ZD-predicted price ($349) is anywhere near accurate, they may bring a real contender to the market. No camera? No big deal IMHO.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/kin...d-tablet/14416
Agreed.
It's iPod all over again, everything but the real thing will fail. This product is zuned.
Different situation. The Zune was trying to compete at the same price point as Apple, and MS had no significant retail presence. Amazon has immense retail power and will be shifting a budget tablet. They may well manage to sell a decent amount - if only to the people who would otherwise have bought a netbook.
Soon as Amazon does this, Microsoft will hit it with a licensing demand. The same as with the Nook. Either Amazon will pay, or it will be involved in a hefty lawsuit with the giant.
Probably. And members here think Google is evil. . .
2) If anyone can compete with the iPad and it's complex ecosystem it's Amazon, but I fear that even if they do become Apple's biggest sole tablet competitor it will be too late to get a substantial part of the market as the iPad becomes another iPod in market dominance.
1) This has been expected and inevitable turn for the Kindle for a couple years now which makes this prediction far from astounding.
2) If anyone can compete with the iPad and it's complex ecosystem it's Amazon, but I fear that even if they do become Apple's biggest sole tablet competitor it will be too late to get a substantial part of the market as the iPad becomes another iPod in market dominance.
IMHO, iPad dominance isn't set in stone yet. Unlike the iPod, tablet competition cropped up pretty quickly, with a widely adopted OS readily available. To be honest I wouldn't be shocked if Apple held only 50-55% of the tablet market by years end.
But I wouldn't be shocked if it were 65-70% either.
Because the entire thing is outsourced, I dont have high hopes for it.
Nope... just make it as cheaply as one can get away with.
Surprisingly, the guys over at ZDNet predicted a future tablet like this in November of last year, and matching up with this new report pretty well. If the ZD-predicted price ($349) is anywhere near accurate, they may bring a real contender to the market. No camera? No big deal IMHO.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/kin...d-tablet/14416
Which was nothing more than a wild guess - as in "let's throw a zillion crazy ideas at the wall and see what sticks".
They said:
"Amazon has all the value-added services that would be necessary in order to launch a mass-market Android device ? be it a media player like the iPod Touch, a 7-inch slate like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, or even a full-sized 10-inch tablet like the iPad."
So they had no idea if it would be an iPod Touch size, a 7" slate, or a 10" tablet. Big deal.
Because the entire thing is outsourced, I dont have high hopes for it.
You don't want a rebadged Coby tablet?
You don't want a rebadged Coby tablet?
I still think they should just rebadge the playbook - we know that RIM has warehouses full of them just gathering dust. Recycling is environmentally friendly!
And yet they have never actually published sales figures for it - what on earth is that about?
Exactly.
Just as with the Androd tablet fiction, people are happier not actually knowing.
And the media does little to ask a basic question like you are.
Or am I being quaint thinking about the reader part too much?
cheap or free to prime customers is potentailly hundreds of thousands of units "sold" on day one.. quite an incentive to port your app..
amazon pad could be THE ipad competitor because they already have the makings of their own ecosystem. something tells me amazon's skin will be classy and elegant as well. hardware outsourced is fine.. but who's writing the software (tweaking android?)
IMHO, iPad dominance isn't set in stone yet. Unlike the iPod, tablet competition cropped up pretty quickly, with a widely adopted OS readily available. To be honest I wouldn't be shocked if Apple held only 50-55% of the tablet market by years end.
But I wouldn't be shocked if it were 65-70% either.
I tend to agree. This is different than the iPod because the portable device market has grown a lot since the iPod came about. I think the battle will center on the Eco system in the future. A lot rests on iCloud. Apple may have a seemingly insurmountable hardware lead with top of class software, but they haven't got the connectivity issues of multi device ownership sewn up yet by any means. iTunes and mm leave plenty of room for improvement.