Amazon is reportedly preparing to launch two new tablet PCs during the second half of 2012.
According to DigiTimes, the upcoming Kindle Fire tablets will weigh in at 7 and 10 inches, respectively. Interestingly enough, it appears as if Amazon has ditched earlier plans to ship a 8.9-inch model.
The $199 Kindle Fire has been a major success for Amazon, with the Seattle-based corporation claiming 14% of the global tablet PC market in the fourth quarter of 2011 by selling at least 6 million units.
As analyst Jordan Rohan points out, Amazon’s device proliferation strategy has broader implications for the mobile space than most appreciate.
“[For example], tablets including iPad and Kindle Fire are rapidly taking share from PCs and notebooks,” Rohan explained in a recent industry note.
“The Kindle Fire has [successfully] staked out an important market position due to its loyal Amazon customer base and attractive device pricing.”
Although Amazon has yet to confirm the new tablets, the new 10-inch form factor certainly makes sense for those interested in more of an iPad like experience, at least in terms of screen size. The same could be said for the new 7-incher, meaning, there are definitely those who want more advanced specs than currently offered by the first version of the Kindle Fire.
As noted previously, I’m fairly confident Amazon will manage to keep its new Kindles competitively priced – even with potential spec upgrades like a camera, faster processor, more storage capacity and 3G capabilities.
And why not? Clearly, the sticker difference is the online retailer’s most significant advantage over Apple’s rival iPad.
