Amazon.com Inc. is planning on releasing a new tablet computer and two new versions of its Kindle e-book reader in the third quarter before October, according to “people familiar with the matter” in a report by the Wall Street Journal.
These inside sources indicated that the new tablet would have a “roughly” 9-inch screen and run on Google’s Android operating system.
The tablet will give users access to videos, e-books, and music purchased and downloaded from Amazon’s library, however “the device will not have a camera” said the source.
The new tablet computer will put Amazon in a competitive market with Apple Inc., who currently holds the majority of the market with its iPad brand of tablets, and other producers incorporating the Android OS into their devices.
One of the two new Kindle e-readers will be a touchscreen reader designed to compete with e-readers from Barnes & Noble and Kobo Inc. The other Kindle device will not be a touchscreen device but will improve upon the current version and be cheaper.
The Kindle currently holds the majority of e-book consumers with a “two-thirds share of the $1 billion dollar digital-book market.”
Apple’s iPad series currently dominates the tablet market, yielding 89% of tablet internet traffic according to market researcher ComScore, and 25% of overall U.S. mobile internet use according to researcher NetMarketShare.
Technology research company Gartner predicts that Apple will have roughly 69% of the market this year whilst Android devices will only hold about 20%. Whilst Gartner expects Apple’s share to decrease steadily in the coming years because of rising Android popularity, the company believes Apple will still hold 47% by 2015.
These inside sources indicated that the new tablet would have a “roughly” 9-inch screen and run on Google’s Android operating system.
The tablet will give users access to videos, e-books, and music purchased and downloaded from Amazon’s library, however “the device will not have a camera” said the source.
The new tablet computer will put Amazon in a competitive market with Apple Inc., who currently holds the majority of the market with its iPad brand of tablets, and other producers incorporating the Android OS into their devices.
One of the two new Kindle e-readers will be a touchscreen reader designed to compete with e-readers from Barnes & Noble and Kobo Inc. The other Kindle device will not be a touchscreen device but will improve upon the current version and be cheaper.
The Kindle currently holds the majority of e-book consumers with a “two-thirds share of the $1 billion dollar digital-book market.”
Apple’s iPad series currently dominates the tablet market, yielding 89% of tablet internet traffic according to market researcher ComScore, and 25% of overall U.S. mobile internet use according to researcher NetMarketShare.
Technology research company Gartner predicts that Apple will have roughly 69% of the market this year whilst Android devices will only hold about 20%. Whilst Gartner expects Apple’s share to decrease steadily in the coming years because of rising Android popularity, the company believes Apple will still hold 47% by 2015.
