Amazon to release $50 tablet?

[kennyc]

according to WSJ:

Amazon to Release $50 Tablet as It Struggles to Sell Pricier Devices
New device has 6-inch screen and is half the price of cheapest Fire tablet

Amazon.com Inc. has struggled to draw customers to its pricier tablets. So it’s going further down-market.

The Seattle online retailer plans to release a $50 tablet with a 6-inch screen, in time for this year’s holidays, according to people familiar with the matter. That would make it one of the least-expensive tablets on the market and half the price of the company’s current Fire HD 6-inch tablet.

The move would potentially attract buyers looking for a simple—and effectively disposable—device for straightforward tasks like streaming video at home and shopping on Amazon.com. But such inexpensive tablets typically come with compromises like inferior screen quality, durability or battery life in comparison to more expensive tablets like Amazon’s larger Fire tablets and industry-leading devices like Apple Inc.’s iPad. For instance, the $50 device will have a mono speaker, rather than stereo, one of the people said.
....

http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-t...ces-1441653902

[HarryT]

A smart move given that Amazon's primary focus is selling content, rather than hardware. A cheap tablet sold at cost price can only increase content sales.

[GERGE]

This was to happen sooner or later. Chinese were releasing $50 tablets for a while now.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by kennyc

according to WSJ:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-t...ces-1441653902

Too expensive

I paid $29 a couple of months ago for a new Fire HD 6.

[David Munch]

They need to be carefull, that the experience isn't so mediocre, that it hurts their image.

[kennyc]

Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me more!!

[Barty]

This is great for gifting to people. It's destined to be used a few times followed by a prolonged period of dust gathering, the fruitcake of the web age.

[Barbara1955]

Why are they building another 6" Tablet They all ready have one!

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Barty

This is great for gifting to people. It's destined to be used a few times followed by a prolonged period of dust gathering, the fruitcake of the web age.

Yeah

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Why are they building another 6" Tablet They all ready have one!

Because everything needs a new model each year, or at least that's the way most electronics work now. Even PC's, where the average upgrade cycle for many folks is nothing like it was years ago, get new models all of the time (often with not a lot of change from the previous model).

[frahse]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A smart move given that Amazon's primary focus is selling content, rather than hardware. A cheap tablet sold at cost price can only increase content sales.

That is about the same price as a new screen for my Kindle KB 3G.

[Wearever]

I thought Kindle would have a $50 e ink screen by now ? It would probably not have a built in light but still.

[tubemonkey]

From Nate's blog:

Amazon’s Next Couple Tablets Clear the FCC, Have Micro SD Card Slots

Earlier this week we learned that Amazon was planning to launch three new tablets this year, including a budget 6" model and 8" and 10" models. One of the three tablets went through the FCC late last month, and now two more tablets have shown up.

>>> snip <<<

Yes, Amazon is breaking with 6 years worth of tradition. Amazon dropped card slots with the second Kindle when it shipped in 2009, and stuck with that design principle through four years of Fire tablets (and the Fire Phone), but now they're going to add a card slot to the new Fire tablets.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Wearever

I thought Kindle would have a $50 e ink screen by now ? It would probably not have a built in light but still.

They do, pretty much.
The basic Kindle sells for $50 when it goes on sale several times a year.

Main problem is Amazon doesn't *need* to sell it at $50.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

They do, pretty much.
The basic Kindle sells for $50 when it goes on sale several times a year.

Main problem is Amazon doesn't *need* to sell it at $50.

True, but if they can make a $50 Tablet ,then they should drop the price on a basic e ink. The basic e ink is $20 more than the New Tablet now when it's not on sale, and the same price when it's on sale.