In the market for a new tablet? How does $250 for a pack of six of them sound? Yes, you read that right. The rumor was Amazon had plans to release a $50 tablet, and they finally achieved that goal. The tablet, simply named ‘Fire’, isn’t a piece of junk considering the rock bottom price. The Fire either sells for $49.99 for one, or $250 for a pack of 6. The device is now available for pre-order, with shipments beginning September 30.
The price makes you wonder what Amazon cut out of the tablet, but the specs are too bad. Inside the device is a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 8GB of memory expandable to 128GB with microSD card. The 7-inch screen with its 1,024 x 600 resolution (171 ppi), won’t look beautiful, but will get the job done. The Fire runs a forked version of Android Lollipop, named Fire OS 5. The tablet also comes with Amazon’s new Underground app, which gives users access to paid games with ad support. Amazon’s tablet will also encourage users to sign up for Prime to get thousands of Movies, TV shows, and Music access for no extra charge.
For a limited time Amazon is offering a promotion for “buy five, get one free” to make the six-pack only $250. Amazon’s next tablet up is the Fire HD 6 which sells for $99, and the company already loses money on that tablet. Amazon is losing a lot of money up front from this tablet, but the thinking is: customers will buy apps, books, and movies in their store so they’ll make it back sooner or later.
Apple is marketing their iPad’s as a productivity tool for creatives and businesses. Amazon on the other hand is marketing the tablet as an entertainment hub that everyone in the family can have. It sounds like a deal to buy a the six-pack and give them away as christmas presents or give one to everyone in the family.
The basic Kindle e-reader cost $79, but it’s really only for books. The Fire lets you play games, watch TV, and read Kindle books all on a device for under $50. They are two totally different devices given one device has an e-ink display and the other has a color touch screen.
Tell us what you think about the Fire and if you’ll splurge for one in the comments down below!