According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is planning to release an ad-supported Kindle Fire that will offer a lower price tag over the standard Kindle Fire. We should see this tablet unveiled at an upcoming Amazon press event, which is scheduled for next Thursday in Santa Monica, California. We’re expecting the tablet to launch shortly after the announcement with a price tag $30-50 less than the standard Kindle Fire, which currently retails for $199. We may see other e-ink Kindle eReaders released alongside the updated Kindle Fire.
The Wall Street Journal’s unnamed sources have said that the device will only display ads when the devices is woken up from sleep. Its sources also said that the tablet will only be available with Wi-Fi connectivity, so 3G/4G data is not an option. However, this comes as no surprise as most $200 tablets are Wi-Fi-only.
These rumors are completely believeable as Amazon ran out of stock of the original Kindle Fire this Thursday. Amazon responded to the supply shortage by saying that there’s an “an exciting roadmap ahead”.
If you’re unaware, Amazon introduced the Kindle line in 2007 with the release of the original Kindle eBook reader. The Kindle Fire, Amazon’s Android-based multimedia tablet, was released last November to compete with the iPad and Nook Color. The Kindle Fire has been in need of a refresh as Google has recently released their low-priced Nexus 7 Android tablet, which retails for $199 in the United States. Apple is also expected to release a smaller and lower priced iPad in October, which should give both Amazon and Google a run for their money.
Source: WSJ
