Fire Sale

Amazon has aggressively priced the Fire at US$199 in a bid to attract users put off by the iPad’s AU$579 price tag.

With the ability to browse the web, view documents and watch movies the Fire is essentially a media consumption device. While the tablet doesn’t come with 3G capabilities (only the Kindle Touch and Kindle Keyboard currently have this option), the Fire is thinner and lighter than the iPad, has longer battery life and comes with a 1024×600 pixel colour screen and access to Amazon’s huge online store.

The Kindle is predicted to significantly increase tablet penetration in the Australian market, joining Samsung’s Galaxy and Sony’s Tablet S as alternatives to the iPad. A recent study by Forrester Research shows that consumers are increasingly using tablets for mobile purchases, reflecting an across-the-board rise in ecommerce from mobile devices.

Australian release to be confirmed

How the Fire is received in Australia depends on pricing, services available from the Amazon store and a release date, all of which are yet to be confirmed. While Amazon won’t reveal how many Kindle’s have been sold in Australia, the company confirms the device is its biggest selling item and is poised to overtake paperback book sales next year.

If the Kindle Fire is launched locally at a competitive price point and with full support from Amazon it will provide an affordable, easy-to-use entry point for SME’s looking to enter the tablet market.

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Featured: Amazon, @amazon

Article by: Dan Kuseta @dankuseta, @smkapac