When Amazon first showed off the Kindle Fire HD for the at their September 6 press conference, they announced that their tablets would feature standard "Special Offers," forcing users to watch ads in order to view content on the device. Following a negative fan reaction, Engadget reported a public statement from an Amazon representative that confirmed the option to opt-out for the fee of $15. Interestingly, CNET spoke to another spokesperson which asserted that there was no way to opt out of "Special Offers." This confusion was cleared up by an official Amazon statement, posted below.
"I wanted to let you know that with Kindle Fire HD there will be a special offers opt-out option for $15. We know from our Kindle reader line that customers love our special offers and very few people choose to opt out. We're happy to offer customers the choice."
"Special Offers appear directly on your Kindle Fire. Offers appear on your lock screen, and you can also view offers from the Home screen by tapping Offers. By delivering these offers to your Kindle Fire, Amazon is able to sell it for a lower price."
"I understand that you would like to opt out of the special offer and willing to pay extra for opting out special offer. Options for unsubscribing special offer will be announced soon."
"To ensure the utmost attention, I've also passed your message on to the appropriate people in our company. We value customer feedback such as yours as it helps us continue to improve the service and selection we provide."