Amazon unveils Kindle Fire HD tablets, Paperwhite e-readers

Sep 07, 2012 01:52am

Amazon.com showed off a larger, higher-end Kindle Fire for $299, taking aim at a fast-growing market now dominated by rival Apple.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, taking the stage in Santa Monica, California, unveiled an 8.9-inch version called the Kindle Fire HD.
Amazon also unveiled a smaller 7-inch version that will sell for $159, down from $199 for the old model.
The Kindle Fire is an effort to take a larger share of a tablet computer market dominated by Apple's iPad and a new rival in the form of Google's Nexus 7.
Amazon also refreshed its line of stand-alone e-readers. Called Paperwhite, the new e-reader model has a black-and-white screen.
The Kindle Paperwhite e-reader has a much sharper screen and longer battery life.
The 3G wireless version that made digital readers mainstream will sell for $179 starting in October.
A wifi-only version will go for $119, and the cheapest will carry a $69 price tag - undercutting the cheapest Barnes and Noble Nook.
Amazon has been selling lower-priced tablets at thin, if any, profit margins to boost sales of digital items from its online store.
Amazon CEO stressed that Amazon saw the Kindle family of e-readers and tablets as a service, with hardware a critical element of its digital content business.
Amazon is competing with Apple, Google and other technology companies for a foothold in the booming mobile-device market, because these devices are fast becoming the preferred tool to access consumer media over the Internet.
As the world's largest Internet retailer, it is essential for Amazon to have a major presence in this new sector.
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.