Amazon gun for Apple with new Kindle Fire

Amazon placed the spotlight on four new Kindle Fire computers yesterday, including some with a larger colour screen. They are clearly now trying to sneak a few sales away from Apple just in time for end of year sales.

Amazon launched the new products just before Apple get the opportunity to introduce their iPad Mini. The new, larger Kindle Fire tablet will have a screen 8.9 inches, so it is still slightly smaller than the 9.7 inch Apple iPad. The original Fire was sold with a smaller 7 inch screen. Amazon are selling the basic, larger Kindle Fire for $299 – which is $1oo cheaper than the lowest cost iPad.

Apple are dominating the market, with 7 out of 10 tablets sold the iPad, according to iHS iSuppli. Google Android tablets are taking a very small percentage of the sales, although the new Kindle fire uses a modified version of Android.

Amazon have a clear strategy, sell their tablets for the lowest possible price, even if they make little to no money. The profit margin comes from software they sell on the Amazon store later.

The 7 inch Kindle Fire is priced at $159, down from $199 for the original model, which has been selling out via their store. Amazon claim the new version is 40 percent faster, loaded with twice the memory and has improved battery life. It aims to ship next Friday.

The new Fire HD model has two Wi-Fi Channels and two internal antennas for smoother, faster data streaming. The aim is to support better streaming of high definition movies across a wifi network. Movies will play at 720p on the 7 inch model, and 1080p on the larger HD model.

The HD version will ship with a starting point of 16GB, double the older version. 2GB is used by the operating system.

Amazon are also releasing a flagship HD model, which can connect to 4G networks in the USA. It is loaded with 32GB of storage and a 8.9 inch screen. The price point is said to be $499.

If you want a closer look at the new tablets – then read our article published earlier today over here.

Kitguru says: We will imagine sales will be strong, going on Amazon's excellent track record so far.

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