Rumor: Amazon smartphone to sport 4.7-inch display, launch this year
Amazon is allegedly working on its own smartphone, which could launch as soon as the second quarter of2013 with a 4.7-inch display.
The details were reported this week by the much maligned publication DigiTimes, which is known for having a questionable track record on rumors of upcoming products, but does occasionally gather accurate information from the tech supply chain. The latest report claims that Amazon originally eyed a 4.3-inch display for its smartphone, but recent trends in the industry to go bigger have led it to choose a 4.7-inch screen.
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet debuted late last year. This year, the company is rumored to launch a smartphone.
According to the report, the handset is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2013, but that may also change. Earlier this month, cnBeta.com reported that Amazon's alleged handset launch was internally postponed due to apparent supply issues.
Development of Amazon's rumored handset reportedly remains fluid, and the retailer is said to be "working on or enhancing other specifications" of the device. It's been said that Foxconn, Apple's longtime manufacturing partner, will be handling assembly duties for Amazon.
Rumors of an Amazon smartphone first began to appear in late 2011, suggesting the retailer wishes to compete with Apple's iPhone and devices running Google's Android platform. The company already offers its touchscreen Kindle Fire tablets, which are sold at low margins to drive digital content sales, and which run a unique forked version of Android.
Market watchers expect Amazon to take a similar approach with a smartphone, selling the hardware essentially at cost in hopes of tying users into its Kindle ecosystem for books, movies, TV shows, applications and other digital content.
For that reason, it's expected that an Amazon phone would compete with low-end Android smartphone makers, rather than Apple's iPhone, which is generally directed at the high end of the market. However, Apple is also rumored to be working on a new, less expensive low-end iPhone that could be sold without a contract in developing countries like China and Brazil.
The details were reported this week by the much maligned publication DigiTimes, which is known for having a questionable track record on rumors of upcoming products, but does occasionally gather accurate information from the tech supply chain. The latest report claims that Amazon originally eyed a 4.3-inch display for its smartphone, but recent trends in the industry to go bigger have led it to choose a 4.7-inch screen.
Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet debuted late last year. This year, the company is rumored to launch a smartphone.
According to the report, the handset is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2013, but that may also change. Earlier this month, cnBeta.com reported that Amazon's alleged handset launch was internally postponed due to apparent supply issues.
Development of Amazon's rumored handset reportedly remains fluid, and the retailer is said to be "working on or enhancing other specifications" of the device. It's been said that Foxconn, Apple's longtime manufacturing partner, will be handling assembly duties for Amazon.
Rumors of an Amazon smartphone first began to appear in late 2011, suggesting the retailer wishes to compete with Apple's iPhone and devices running Google's Android platform. The company already offers its touchscreen Kindle Fire tablets, which are sold at low margins to drive digital content sales, and which run a unique forked version of Android.
Market watchers expect Amazon to take a similar approach with a smartphone, selling the hardware essentially at cost in hopes of tying users into its Kindle ecosystem for books, movies, TV shows, applications and other digital content.
For that reason, it's expected that an Amazon phone would compete with low-end Android smartphone makers, rather than Apple's iPhone, which is generally directed at the high end of the market. However, Apple is also rumored to be working on a new, less expensive low-end iPhone that could be sold without a contract in developing countries like China and Brazil.
Comments
PizzaHut making a smart phone. Innovative design - Disc shaped design. Just to carry the feeling that customers are holding pizza. Pizzahut is calling it PizzaFone.
Customer: What can I do with the disc shaped phone?
PizzaHut: You can order pizzas and many more!
Customer: Can I read books on that like Kindle?
PizzaHut: Yes.
Customer: Can I play games?
PizzaHut: Yes!
Customer: Does it run Android?
PizzaHut: Ooo Yes!
Customer: F**k off!
PizzaHut; Dont stop coming to PizzaHut. I am a delicious Pizzaaaa
Does anyone know if the Google apps are available on the Amazon Android App Store? If not, I wonder if Google will submit them. Otherwise, Amazon will need their own mapping solution to try to compete?
I can potentially see why Amazon would want to try this, but not sure why consumers would buy into it.
EDIT: Did a quick search for Google Maps and did not see an official app from Google on the Amazon Appstore for Android.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheUnfetteredMind
Does anyone know if the Google apps are available on the Amazon Android App Store? If not, I wonder if Google will submit them. Otherwise, Amazon will need their own mapping solution to try to compete?
I can potentially see why Amazon would want to try this, but not sure why consumers would buy into it.
EDIT: Did a quick search for Google Maps and did not see an official app from Google on the Amazon Appstore for Android.
I believe Kindle runs on Android. Can't they access PlayStore? I dont know.
[SIZE=2]well, i was going to initially write that i was holding out for a webvan phone ... but they're "part of the amazon family". sigh.[/SIZE]
Quote:
i'm gonna hold out for the pets.com phone ...
well, i was going to initially write that i was holding out for a webvan phone ... but they're "part of the amazon family". sigh.
Pets.com phone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chandra69
I believe Kindle runs on Android. Can't they access PlayStore? I dont know.
Looks like you can hack it to side load apps from Google Play. Not sure how many non-techies would do this. Again, what would be the advantage for consumers to get this and have to hack it to get to Google Play vs just buying a real Android phone?
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/how-to-get-the-google-play-store-on-the-kindle-fire-hd-50010454/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chandra69
In America, any one can make a smartphone!
PizzaHut making a smart phone. Innovative design - Disc shaped design. Just to carry the feeling that customers are holding pizza. Pizzahut is calling it PizzaFone.
Customer: What can I do with the disc shaped phone?
PizzaHut: You can order pizzas and many more!
Customer: Can I read books on that like Kindle?
PizzaHut: Yes.
Customer: Can I play games?
PizzaHut: Yes!
Customer: Does it run Android?
PizzaHut: Ooo Yes!
Customer: F**k off!
PizzaHut; Dont stop coming to PizzaHut. I am a delicious Pizzaaaa
Sounds like a PizzaShit
Yes that's right, Google apps like Gmail etc are not available on the Amazon Appstore. Kindle Fire users would have to access that stuff using the web browser.
Tech savvy users can install the Google apps on their own of course but I doubt your average user would.
I like Amazon- a lot. I'm a pretty loyal customer to the brand- but this is a bad idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joelsalt
Sounds like a PizzaShit
Then, my job is done. It should sound like shit.
Though they do help us understand the inside knowledge behind our tech.
Obviously, this will be the biggest thing to happen to the phone market for many a year, especially so in the US where competition is far more stifled.
I'm sure Amazon would love for people to pay for their advertising and data mining conduit disguised as a phone. Next up, Facebook makes a smart phone. You can trust Facebook with your information, because Facebook is all about privacy.
Despite the DigiTimes source, I also think its not beyond Amazon to try this. They've already dipped their toe into overseas consumer electronics manufacturing with the Kindles. This seems like a logical next step, because they want to build out their content delivery business. Unlike Google, whose focus seems to be "all information, freely available on the web and copyrights be damned," Amazon wants a device/content ecosystem much like Apple.
Why is this a bad idea?
Amazon Kindle has been successful if not profitable.
Yawn....who cares. Amazon should stick with being an app....forget the hardware. They're loosing their a$$ on hardware profit margins anyway.
Are you aware of this….
How do you know? I'm sure the Kindle is selling well but Amazon doesn't release numbers.
I don't think a smart phone fits in its business model. The kindle, I can see, is a inexpensive reader. What is the killer feature on a Amazon phone? The kindle app is already on iOS and android.