Remember the days when most people owned a laptop and a smart phone but not a tablet? Now, owning a tablet is just as important as a user’s smart phone, and, to some, more important than their laptop. While tablets, initially, like all tech devices, were very expensive, Amazon is about to release a $50 version of its Kindle Fire just in time for the holidays.
According to Digital Trends , the newest version of the Kindle Fire (which Amazon is calling the Fire tablet) is nothing special spec-wise. It has a basic 1024 x 600 pixel resolution which isn’t fantastic but if you are using it like you would your Kindle — as a reading device — then it will likely be a great alternative to replace your Kindle or Kindle Fire with should it break in the future. It also has only 8GB of storage, but there is the option of increasing that by an additional 128GB via a MicroSD card slot. For those who want their Kindle Fire to watch movies on, the mono speaker may not appeal either.
However, as Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos pointed out to the Wall Street Journal , the price of a Kindle Fire is not the way Amazon makes their money, instead “the company prefers to make money by selling services that work with the devices, like e-books and video rentals.” This is a smart move, considering just how many eBooks alone are purchased via Amazon.com. But, without the likes of high-pixel resolution and stereo speakers, just how much money can be made off their video rental services? According to Forrester Research analyst, Frank Gillett, Amazon need to be very careful with pricing their Kindle Fire products.
“Will people tolerate a potentially inferior experience just because a tablet is $50? Amazon has to be very careful about what they’re giving up to get to that low price point.”
However, as GoodEReader suggested, at $50, a parent could purchase a Kindle Fire for their child and not have to worry so much about potential damage like they would with a more expensive item such as an Apple iPad. Another demographic that would appreciate a cheap Kindle Fire is the student market who don’t have a lot of disposable income to burn, but do require a tablet to aid with study.
And, if you really are impressed with the new version of the Kindle Fire, according to ReCode , you can purchase the product in a six-pack for only $249! For grandparents, that is Christmas sorted all in one fell swoop.
Are you planning on getting Amazon’s latest Fire tablet, or do you already own a Kindle Fire? Let us know by commenting below.
[Image credit: Amazon]
