Amazon captured a significant proportion of the Android tablet market with the Kindle Fire, largely thanks to its cheap selling price. There’s still sadly no word on an Australian launch date — although that hasn’t stopped some importing them — but the current crop of rumours suggest that the Kindle fire may be getting bigger and/or cheaper.
Cheaper, I hear you say? Well, you can’t get something for nothing; in this case, as per a report on AdAge, Amazon’s apparently courting advertisers for the Kindle Fire’s lock screen; US$600,000 would buy you two month’s worth of advertising on a (presumably) ad-supported Kindle Fire. That’d certainly be following a trend, as Amazon already sells the base level Kindle “with special offers” — or as you and I would call them, ads.
Staying on the Kindle Fire, it’s also been mooted for some time that Amazon would produce a range of Kindle Fire models; the latest rumour (via Wired) suggests that a ten inch model is imminent. It seems unlikely that a ten inch model would see the price of the existing Kindle drop; it’s much more likely to be a slightly costlier alternative, which would raise challenges for Amazon; too much higher and a fully featured ICS tablet would become a better buy. Still, we’ll know when/if it goes on sale.
Except, that is, in Australia. Come on Amazon! We’ve got lots of mining money! Take it! [AdAge via Liliputing and Wired via Phandroid]