Amazon has offered a variety of Kindle Fire tablets for the last few years. These tablets are less expensive than the iPad and offer a number of features. Now, to pump up sales, Amazon plans to introduce a new $50 tablet in time for the holiday shopping season. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS PRODUCT WILL DO?
Why introduce a $50 tablet? As Greg Bensinger reports for the Wall Street Journal:
“Amazon.com Inc. has struggled to draw customers to its pricier tablets. So it’s going further down-market. The Seattle online retailer plans to release a $50 tablet with a 6-inch screen, in time for this year’s holidays, according to people familiar with the matter. That would make it one of the least-expensive tablets on the market and half the price of the company’s current Fire HD 6-inch tablet.”
“The move would potentially attract buyers looking for a simple — and effectively disposable — device for straightforward tasks like streaming video at home and shopping on Amazon.com. But such inexpensive tablets typically come with compromises like inferior screen quality, durability, or battery life in comparison to more expensive tablets like Amazon’s larger Fire tablets and industry-leading devices like Apple Inc. ’s iPad. For instance, the $50 device will have a mono speaker, rather than stereo, one of the people said.”
“The $50 device is part of a slate Amazon is planning to release this year that will also include tablets with 8-inch and 10-inch screens, according to the people familiar. Amazon has long sought to undercut its hardware competitors, in part by eschewing profits on the devices themselves. Rather, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has said, the company prefers to make money by selling services that work with the devices, like E-books and video rentals.”
I believe that this product will work because it has the same functions as an Apple Ipad and is a fraction of the price at just $50. Given that Amazon find its target market and successfully advertises the product to them this can be a very successful product.
I believe that this product will not be a success due to the face that the quality of the tablet is incomparable to other tablets that are more expensive. Even the generic tablets have more features and better volume systems then this product. Unless they are able to improve the product and market it in a specific way in which they can argue the lower price is worth the tablet they won’t be able to sell the product for long.
I believe that this will be a very successful product. This product is significantly cheaper than its competitors, (Namely the iPad) but still offers the same features. While it may not be as advanced as other tablets on the market, it can still execute functions that are expected of a tablet. Consumers will be satisfied with that fact that this Amazon Tablet can stream music, take pictures, provide access to the internet, etcetera, for a fraction of the cost.
Personally, I don’t think the amazon tablet will be as successful as its competitors. I think that the only reason why someone would buy the new Amazon tablet over an iPad would be because of the extremely low price. Apple definitely markets their products better than Amazon does, which is why I think that the iPad will still be more popular, regardless of Amazon’s low price. However, the personal live video support feature is a HUGE step up from Apple’s support system. If I were to buy a new tablet, this feature could be a deciding factor.
I absolutely think this $50 Amazon tablet will be a success. Releasing this product during the holiday season is such a smart choice as well. Everyone during that time is looking for the best gifts at the most affordable prices, and the tablet is a very popular option. I know for a fact that if my dad saw Amazon’s tablet before the iPad, there would have been no doubt in his mind which one he was purchasing for my little brother.
I think the $50 Amazon tablet will be successful in the market it is trying to reach. The tablet will obviously not be marketed toward people looking for devices designed to handle high demand tasks and multitasking, but rather toward people who are just looking for a simple tablet with basic functions that allow them to pass free time. The reasonable price allows it be an option for many people desiring an everyday device and the necessary compromises for a $50 tablet should be implicit to the buyer. The numerous simple features it is able to handle, however, is a plus. Thus, I think it will be successful in being marketed as an everyday device for the average consumer.
I think that this tablet will affect the part of the technological market that deals with people who may not be able to afford more expensive products. I do not think that this product will affect the sale really of other tablets, like Apple or even the Kindle Fire. People want the brand name of such items. I do think that this tablet sale will allow less privileged families to buy product. There are some minor concerns that, in my opinion, are insignificant. I believe that if people are not willing to pay around $150 for an expensive tablet, then they should not be affected by where the volume button lays.
I don’t think this new tablet will be extremely successful due to the difference in quality from it’s competitors. Consumers sometimes prefer to buy the high-quality products because they feel that they are getting their money’s worth more so than spending less on a lower quality product. I do think that this new tablet will attract the market of parents with young children. Three year olds do not need the most high-tech table for their games, especially since they really cannot decipher all the differences between the new tablet and the other options.
Similar to Robert Kiyosaki’s message in his novel “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” the fast food chain McDonald’s, offers not the best quality of burgers, yet still remains on top of the market. Well as Kiyosaki explains, McDonald’s provides a burger that satisfies all of a customer’s basic needs–it is quick, cheap, reliable, and decent. Despite the fact McDonald’s products are perhaps not the tastiest nor healthiest, they meet the necessities a hungry individual on the go is seeking. Thus, I do believe for similar reasons Amazon’s new tablet will be successful as long as it remains true to what it claims it does. Sometimes simplicity is golden, and this is what I believe to be the case with Amazon’s new product. I feel this new tablet is going to make Apple and other companies sweat as it is offering something that is cheap, reliable, and decent–the McDonald’s hamburger of tablets. I feel Amazon will capitalize on the opportunity to be the first to revolutionize a cheap tablet that is expense-friendly and is even above reasonable in terms of price to the average Joe. I also believe that this is going to start a trend of future new tablets to arrive on the market that offer a more affordable price as Amazon is now releasing. Additionally, having the product for the holiday season is an extra bonus that will cause a surplus of tablets to be purchased for last minute holiday gifts. However, my only concern deals with the issue we discussed in class. For those who would choose the Mercedes vs the Hyundai due to the “status” of driving around in a say $150,000 car, those same individuals may gravitate towards the status of having an Apple tablet with each and every last gadget included. However, as I mentioned previously, most of the world sticks to the Hyundai type of lifestyle as it is the more accessible and affordable choice. Hence, I feel the Amazon tablet will appeal to mostly everyone and therefore, will be extremely successful on the market.
The new $50 dollar amazon tablet should be interesting. I don’t feel it will gain a large market share in the tablet market . However, I think it is cheap enough for people to buy one as a second or third tablet. One to bring to beach or to leave in a car. The screen is small so not sure how clear videos will be to watch. Might be good for kids to watch videos on planes or in cars. Reminds me of the old portable DVD players that my parents purchased for my brother and me when we drove cross country . It kept us quiet.
I think the amazon $50 Tablet will be moderately successful because consumers are looking for cheap products that are reputable. Amazon is a multibillion dollar company that is extremely reputable and has a product that is supposed to appeal to the lower middle class. A $50 tablet is pretty unbelievable compared to a $400 iPad. Amazon’s tablet may not be as popular as Apple, however I think there is definitely a market for the product.
I do not think the $50 tablet will be a success. To be positioned as a “cheap and still functional” product is not the way a product becomes popular. As a Chinese, I saw many of the “made in China” products that functioning as an iPad and very much cheaper than iPad, however, few people are willing to buy it.
It might because a tablet is not a necessary product for most people.I won’t decide to buy unless it is a very fancy tablet. The functions of the $50 tablet can be easily replaced by a cellphone. Why do people still want to buy a infancy equivalence to a cellphone, not to mention, it does not look cool because of the inferior quality.
I do not see the new Amazon tablet being a huge success, however I do not foresee it being a complete failure either. People that are very serious about their technological products will most likely choose to purchase, for example, an Apple iPad, however those that are just looking for something to keep their child occupied on a long car ride may find this product very useful. My main concern is that I cannot see the quality of Amazon’s new tablet being anywhere comparable to that of the Apple iPad. However, for those that may not be able to afford a $500 tablet, the new Amazon tablet may make it possible for them to purchase.
I think it’s very smart to cell low price kindle to make money by selling services that work with the devices
Your comments need to be a little longer. 🙂
I don’t know if this product is going to be as successful as Apple’s tablets, but I definitely think that it will be successful for parent’s with younger children. I always see toddlers out in public or that I babysit with Apple iPad’s with shattered screens. I think that this will resonate better with that audience because spending $50 on a tablet that is going to be treated as a toddler would treat it is much more reasonable than spending $500 on an iPad. Also, this is a smart move on Amazon’s end because by selling a cheaper tablet, customers may be inclined to upgrade to a more expensive one later on if they are happy with Amazon’s service.