Amazon Unveils Kindle Fire
To plenty of fanfare, Amazon has unveiled its newest product, the Kindle Fire, a budget-priced tablet computer that is expected to rival Apple’s iPad.
Already the dominant player in the e-reader market, Amazon hopes to increase its market share of digital music, movies and other media content with its new tablet. Amazon currently runs a distant second to iTunes in terms of digital music sales in the U.S.
The Kindle Fire will retail for $199 (compared to the iPad’s starting price of $499). The device has a 7-inch color screen, a bit smaller than the iPad’s. Content will be accessible to stream or download through Amazon’s cloud service.
At an announcement event this morning in New York City, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos introduced the Kindle Fire and three new versions of the company’s popular Kindle e-reader. Amazon focuses on “making premium products at non-premium prices,” he said.