Amazon Announces $89 Tablet

Amazon on Wednesday announced that it is soon releasing its newest iteration of the Fire Tablet. The key difference since the last generation? The starting price is $89.00. Perhaps this is in response to the sheer amount of people that have been staying at home in response to COVID-19. 

According to Amazon, the new tablets are expected to start shipping June 3. The new 8 inch Fire Tablet will feature 32 GB of storage and will come with a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, the online retailer’s ebook service. With a lower cost, Amazon is likely hoping to gain revenue from purchases through their app store. This is a strategy which has been successful for Amazon in the past. Amazon’s FireStick is a prime example of selling hardware low, and making up the revenue in app purchases. 

The tablet features an 8 inch screen, which for many users is more than enough.A he high definition screen is impressive, especially considering the price. Amazon is also releasing an upgraded version of their standard Fire tablet, as well as an iteration that is geared towards children. 

The tablet also features a multitude of parental controls, which will save many parents the pain of surprise credit card bills from unattended app store sessions. The parental controls also limit in app purchases, so parents need not worry about Junior purchasing $1000 worth of Fortnite skins. 

The battery power is also sufficient for a small tablet. With an onboard USB type C charger, many individuals will now be able to use existing cords for other devices when in a pinch. 

With social distancing, and staying at home being the new norm, we are excited to see how this template fares. As a low price alternative to an iPad, we feel that this product will be very profitable for Amazon. With future economic uncertainty, many individuals are looking for a low price consumer electronic, we are happy to see Amazon attempting to capture this segment.