Can Amazon stand above the fray and make sense of the Android / tablet mess? (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

September 6th is official. On like Amazon!
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/23/3263213/amazon-press-event-september-6th-new-kindles

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Beating Apple to the punch by a rumored 6 days.

 

[Hanson]

The only compelling new feature I can think of is a Mirasol screen for indoor/outdoor use.

 

[Sam Posten]

Then I am glad you are not an Amazon engineer =p
Hopefully they have some more surprises in stock for us.

 

[Hanson]

So if the new Fire is just a spec bump, does that mean I'm qualified to be an Amazon engineer?

A $299 9.7" tablet would cause the most disruption. It would really short circuit the iPad mini.

 

[Sam Posten]

There is a difference between predictions and hopes bud. I don't have any solid info for predictions, just continued hopes that Amazon keeps making moves that shakes things up.
I don't know how much a $299 10" Fire would shake things up IF to get there they drop some critical things that make the iPad what it is, including the retina display, GPS, dual cameras etc.
It doesn't seem like as well as the Fire sold that it really slowed the iPad down. And you already know that I believe that the rumored 7" iPad is designed for killer market share WITH profits built in, so I can't wait to see how Apple proceeds here. There is no way Apple will join in a race to the bottom.
But If Amazon did something like putting a subsidized mobile broadband chip in it tho, then we would be talking real disruption. There are a lot of options here that don't have to just be about the hardware.

 

[Hanson]

A theoretical 10" Fire at $299 wouldn't compete with the iPad, but it would compete with the iPad mini if the mini were the same price (which I assume it will have to be to maintain their margins).

Amazon dropped critical things from the Fire, like cameras, GPS, volume buttons, expandable memory, etc to get to a certain manufacturing price. Why would they cut similar corners on a 10" tablet to get to a rock bottom price?

 

[Sam Posten]

Because there already is a big dog gold standard on that block. There wasn't in the 7" $200 arena.
I don't know what price an iPad mini will ship at. $200 and my whole family is getting them for Christmas. Over that nd they would be a lot more cautious buying them. I'd bet on $250 but $100 either way is possible. If it is even real.

 

[Hanson]

Sorry Sam, I was trying to write, "Why wouldn't they cut similar corners on a 10" tablet to get to a rock bottom price?"

Kind of completely altered the intended meaning.

 

[Sam Posten]

My answer ultimately stays the same. If Amazon cuts corners they are going to have to do a huge job of explaining why those features don't matter and the money saved is worthwhile. This is something akin to Apple cutting features and charging premium prices I can hear you shout!
The thing is Apple is REALLY good at making this case. Amazon doesn't have that much talent on that front. As much as I admire Bezos he is not a master public speaker with a brilliant mind for marketing. Again, will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Hanson]

Here's the potential explanation (get ready, it's a compelling argument):

$299. Or even better: $249.

Just like with the Fire, they will say you don't need the bells and whistles you get from a full fledged iPad because it's a media consumption device.

I still don't know how that has anything to do with Apple cutting features.

 

[Sam Posten]

Looks like leaks coming:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3280859/amazon-new-kindle-fire-the-evidence-grows

 

[Sam Posten]

And new Paperwhite tech replacing Pearl:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/30/3280770/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-display

 

[DaveF]

I'll be tempted to replace my Kindle 3 with the PaperWhite. Looks awesome!

 

[Sam Posten]

I am definitely going to. I am the king of passing on last year's to family members!

 

[Sam Posten]

T minus 15 minutes.
Amazon teased the Pearl White and big Fire on TV last night:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/5/3295778/amazon-teases-updated-kindles-new-commercial/in/3045343
Live blogs:
http://live.arstechnica.com/amazon-kindle-fire-liveblog/
http://live.theverge.com/amazon-kindle-fire-paperwhite-reader-event-live/
Right now i am planning on getting a Pearl and a case for it, but have no intention of buying a new Fire. I may buy a 7" for a nephew's birthday present.
Can they put something so compelling up that I am ready to upgrade? We will see VERY soon!

 

[Hanson]

I would consider getting an Amazon phone for my wife if the price is right. We're currently on Sprint, and the additional cost of move from unlimited text and no data to unlimited text and data is almost $30/mo. It looks like Boost or a Tmo prepaid plan is the better way to go.

 

[Sam Posten]

Currently have no reason to believe that an Amazon phone would intrigue me, especially if not on Vz, but I'm willing to hear what they have to say if that rumor is true.

 

[Sam Posten]

Yup. cept me.

"Customers are smart. Last year, there were more than two dozen Android tablets launched into the marketplace, and nobody bought 'em."

 

[Sam Posten]

Another good live blog:
http://live.mobilenations.com/Event/Amazon_Kindle_Event