Both the Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch have sold out, potentially giving the spotlight to the approach of the Kindle Fire 2 or a new illumined e-ink device which is expected to be unveiled during Amazon's September 6 conference.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos all but cements the speculation, stating: "This has been a big year for digital products on Amazon-all of the top 10 sellers on Amazon.com since Kindle Fire launched just less than a year ago are digital products.
Kindle Fire is sold out, but we have an exciting roadmap ahead-we will continue to offer our customers the best hardware, the best prices, the best customer service, the best cross-platform interoperability, and the best content ecosystem."
"We're grateful to the millions of customers who have made Kindle Fire the most successful product launch in the history of Amazon," he continued.
It's all but certain that this "exciting roadmap" will be revealed in the form of a new device one week from today.
According to Amazon, the Kindle Fire took over 22 percent of U.S. tablet sales over the span of just nine months, putting it just behind Apple's iPad in tablet market share.
TechCrunch reports that a Kindle with an illuminated screen is in development, supported by patents for lighting technology. The site adds that the light is set to be a softer blue-white color, and hinted at 2012 release, lining up perfectly with Amazon's conference.
Amazon will supposedly ship the both a 7-inch and a 10-inch Kindle Fire 2 upon its release. The device, which is rumored to offer 4G support, is thought to maintain its previous version's price point at $199. Sources also claim that the new Fire will sport a metal casing, be thinner than the first-gen iPad, and have a black matte finish. AllThingsD reports that the screen will display at a 1280 x 800 resolution. Other potential features include a front-facing camera, a microUSB port, and a HDMI-out port.
In regards to the tablet market, ABI analyst John Flood states, "We believe there will always be a niche market for the dedicated reading device for voracious readers, business travelers, and educational segments, particularly ones that are low-priced."
With a likely $199 price point, Amazon is primed to serve such a market.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
