Is Amazon.com going to follow up the launch of its successful Kindle e-reader with an iPad-like tablet device? That certainly seems to be the rather big hint that Amazon.com President and CEO (and Star Trek fan) Jeff Bezos gave in an interview for the Consumer Reports web site. When asked that question by the reported Bezos said simply, "Stay tuned." Bezos added that if Amazon.com were to make such a tablet, it would be a supplement, rather than a replacement, of Amazon.com's Kindle. He said, "We will always be very mindful that we will want a dedicated reading device In terms of any other product introductions, I shouldn’t answer.”
Bezos also talked about the current Kindle device which recently launched a new cheaper version that has adds running in the screensaver and across the bottom of the Kindle screen. Bezos said having the ads on the bottom, not only keeps the reading experience itself free from disruptions, but also keeps the ads themselves from being ignored. He also doesn't think that sales of books via the Kindle will be hurt when the Kindle allows its users to borrow e-books from libraries, saying, “Most people prefer to build their libraries with books they own rather than borrow."
Finally, will we ever see a color version of the Kindle as we have seen with Barnes and Nobile's Nook e-reader? Bezos said that having a color version of the Kindle's E Ink is not coming anytime in the future. He said that while improvements are being made at the moment a color version of E Ink "is not ready for prime time…the colors are very pale."
Comments (7)
ReplyDon't we already know this? & by know, I mean know for a fact they're doing that?
I don't think Amazon should join the tablet market, it's not their thing. Well I guess they can, they just won't succeed. They should focus on taking over the e-reader market first.
I'm not sure.
Tablet cannot be large enough to use during long time, if it is it's too large to travel with it.
The Atrix is the concept of what i think will be the future of computer/slate that can extend to a desktop.
Casual computing that is. I doubt that the future departs us tablets for working.
Tablets certainly have their uses, but they will not completely replace current computer systems. At best, they'll replace some of the functionality.
try to do some programming on a tablet, CAD/CAM, gaming, etc.
tablets are for casual net surfing and people who think they are cool.
I think this makes sense - release a low budget (i.e. less than $250, but ideally less than $200) tablet, with a decent UI, access to the Amazon 'cloud' - i.e. the usual store, Kindle Store, Music Streaming etc, etc. By emphasising (sp?) that it's a tablet, rather than a dedicated e-reader [as this tablet won't use an e-ink display], it gets Amazon into the Tablet 'area', whilst at the same time, not detracting from Kindle Sales. It also gives E-Ink Holdings the time they need to develop the new generation E-Ink displays, ready for the Kindle 4, in 2012.