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Amazon Prepping Two Kindle Fire Tablet Sequels for Release Later This Year

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With the success of the affordably priced 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet, it appears that Amazon is already preparing for the slate’s successor with two new models. According to sources, the Internet retail giant will be releasing a successor to the 7-inch model and is planning to roll out a 10-inch Kindle Fire tablet alongside the updated 7-inch model. Both models are said to debut later this year in the second half of 2012.

A 10-inch model of the tablet has been rumored even before the 7-inch tablet was released and was rumored to have been released with the current generation of 7-inch Kindle Fire slates, but that did not materialize. Since Amazon had debuted its premier slate, there were buzz that the company may have changed directions and would release a smaller 8.9-inch or 9-inch tablet instead of the 10-inch tablet, but in the latest report from DigiTimes, it appears that won’t be the case.

The publication notes that with the success of 7-inch slate, Amazon is shifting focus from e-ink readers, which was the device for e-book reading, to colored tablets. The company is said to have decreased orders for e-ink displays and is now sourcing touch panels for the 10-inch model, which will be assembled by Quanta Computer and Foxconn, the latter of which also assembles the iPad and other consumer electronics products.

The Kindle Fire was launched with great success thanks to a feature-rich specs sheet–including dual-core processor, a relatively high resolution for a 7-inch display at the time, and attractive package–along with an affordable price tag of $199. With sales of the Kindle Fire, Amazon has captured 14% of the tablet market share, placing Amazon just behind Apple in tablet shipments. Though the Kindle Fire is based on the Android platform, Amazon eschews Google’s app store and ties in with its own storefronts for delivery of music, movies, TV shows, apps, magazines, and books. It is speculated that Amazon may be losing money on sales of the hardware and the company may recover costs through sales of digital content.

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