In Ever since Amazon announced a press conference on 28 September in New York, the expectation has risen that the company might use the occasion to present its Android based tablet, which could as well turn out to be a serious rival to Apples iPad. On its part, Amazon remains tight-lipped about what is going to be released on the coming Wednesday. However, tech pundits have already started predicting, Wednesday is going to be a tablet day.
Through suppliers and the press, some details of the Amazons tablet have already been leaked. The Kindle tablet is expected to have a 7-inch touchscreen and run Amazon's own version of Android. While there are many Android tablets on sale, none has been able to compete effectively with Apple's iPad, of which about 29 million have been sold since its launch in April 2010. The real question is will Amazons new tablet be good for the users and the companys shareholders?
The price of the device is expected to be low to enable it to quickly get traction amongst users. Even in case of Kindle e-reader, Amazon had used a similar strategy of wooing readers through low prices. Some websites have been claiming that the new tablet could be priced as low as $250. While that is well below the price at which iPad retails, it is still higher than HPs fire sale price for TouchPad.
The time is perfect for the launch of the new Amazon tablet. Lot of major companies like Samsung, HP, RIM and others have failed to make a dent in Apples iPad monopoly. Recent reports from Gartner also indicate that if uncontested, the iPad will rule the tablet roost for the next few years. If Amazons manages to place a good product at a reasonable price, it might be able to attract many users who are looking for a non-iPad solution to their tablet needs.
By taking advantage of its ties with media and publishing companies to pack the Kindle tablet with songs, books and videos, Amazon may succeed where companies such as Research In Motion Ltd and Hewlett-Packard Co have failed.
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