Today, there are more rumors about Amazon’s leap into the tablet market.
The Wall Street Journal has cited “people familiar with the matter” in predicting that the online retailer will release its iPad rival sometime before October.
This new information seems to corroborate rumors reported last month by DigiTimes. Their sources were Taiwan-based component makers who said that Amazon planned to launch their tablet in the fall in order to capitalize on the upcoming holiday season.
They reported that Amazon had a sales goal of 4 million units by the end of the year.
According to the WSJ’s sources, the new Amazon tablet will have a roughly 9-inch screen and will run on Android OS. As you would expect, the tablet will provide easy access to Amazon’s ebooks, music and app store. The sources also said that the Amazon tablet will not be sporting a camera.
According to the sources, Amazon will also release two new members of the Kindle family around the same time. The first will be a touchscreen model that will be poised to go up against Barnes & Noble’s New Nook “Simple Touch” e-reader.
The second new Kindle will be a cheaper version of the current basic Kindle. If the rumors prove true, both will try to compete in a crowded field of e-readers during this holiday shopping season.
Can an Amazon tablet compete with the dominance of the iPad? It’s hard to say. Nothing has really been able to challenge the iPad’s place atop the throne. According to other rumors, the newest iPad will debut this fall under the name “iPad HD.” It will sport an incredibly high-res screen (2048 x 1536) and would be primarily for professionals who wish to do serious work on their tablets.
[Image Courtesy]