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Tablet Rumors: Amazon Goes Big While Apple Shoots Small

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In the latest round of tablet rumors, it appears that publication DigiTimes is kindling rumors that Amazon will be going big with its next release in the Kindle Fire product line. While it’s been long speculated that Amazon will add a larger Kindle Fire slate to its 7-inch tablet on the market, there was continuing debate if that model will be an 8.9-inch or a 10-inch slate. However, now DigiTimes is claiming that Amazon has suspended plans for its 8.9-inch slate and is favoring the larger 10-inch tablet model in a move that would put the Kindle Fire 10-inch in direct competition with Apple’s market-leading iPad tablet.

Amazon apparently plans to simplify its product lineup to focus its competition against Apple’s iPad, according to industry sources, who also added that the planned 8.9-inch model was originally to take on Samsung’s Galaxy Note tablets.

Apple, meanwhile, isn’t sitting still. While the iOS slate manufacturer has in the past dismissed smaller tablets as not being ideal to a good user experience, it saw the Kindle Fire’s inexpensive $200 price tag and 7-inch form factor to rise to the top of the Android crop and take second place in market share for tablets. Apple is now rumored to be releasing with a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to compete against inexpensive and smaller Android slates.

Amazon has a better chance of succeeding in the low-cost tablet space compared to other Android tablet-manufacturers as it does not need to rely on Google’s ecosystem for digital content. Amazon has storefronts for apps, music, books, magazines, movies, and TV shows. With sales of these content, Amazon can make a small percentage revenue and this allows it to sell its hardware at a loss.

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