San Francisco (dpa) - Amazon is planning two new versions of its
Kindle Fire tablet to be announced next week, including an
advertising supported model that will be offered to users at a
substantial discount, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The report said that the tablet would display an ad after the user
"wakes" the gadget, but did not give any details on pricing.
Amazon, the largest web retailer, announced this week that its
original Kindle Fire had sold out and has scheduled a press event for
Thursday, when the new device is expected to be announced.
The Kindle Fire emerged in October 2011 as the primary competitor
to Apple's iPad and has since captured some 22 per cent of the US
tablet market, according to Amazon. Analysts estimate the company has
sold up to 10 million of the units, which boast 7-inch
(18-centimetre) screens.
Speculation has been rife that the new versions will feature
larger screens, but technology website CNet.com reported Friday that
both new devices would still feature 7-inch screens, with one
including major hardware upgrades from its predecessor and the other
including only minor changes.
Amazon is facing increased competition in the tablet market
following the launch this summer of Google's 199-dollar Nexus 7
tablet. Numerous manufacturers are expected to debut tablet devices
based on Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system late this year.
