Sunday Times 2
Amazon aiming to take a bite out of Apple with new big screen Kindle
View(s):Amazon has launched a low cost, big screen Kindle tablet to take on the iPad. The new Kindle Fire HD has an 8.9inch screen – just slightly smaller than Apple’s 9.7inch iPad screen. It also boasts stereo speakers, and can be plugged directly into a HDTV to show films on a big screen. The tablet uses Amazon’s own film, music and app stores – and the firm says 50,000 apps are available.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 will compete with Apple's iPad and the plethora of Android tablets on the market
The big screen tablet was launched in the US last year, but Amazon is now launching its larger tablet in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.
In the US, it has cut the price of its largest Kindle Fire tablet, part of an effort by the world’s biggest Internet retailer to get the device into the hands of as many consumers as possible. It hopes the new Kindle will steal sales away from Apple’s iPad as it is far cheaper. The new Kindle will compete with both the full sized iPad, which had a 9.7 inch screen, and the iPad Mini with its smaller 7.9inch screen.
The gadget will also compete with tablets running Google’s Android software, including the search giants own Nexus 7 and 10 tablet, and Microsoft’s Surface and Surface Pro tablet. Experts say Amazon is willing to make little or no money selling cheap tablets and e-readers because it wants to get the devices into as many hands as possible, then sell higher-margin digital content, such as e-books, video, games, apps and music, to a more connected and engaged customer base.
© Daily Mail, London
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