Amazon Kindle Fire tablet lands at $199

If only...

... the $79 would be sold using the current exchange rate, it would be only pennies above £50 and then I'd have no excuse not to buy one. Not going to happen though, it will no doubt be about £79.

By The_Scrote on 28 Sep 2011

@The_Scrote

Yeah... For GBP(£) Read USD($) + 20%VAT

By _Alex_ on 28 Sep 2011

I think the $79 is actually excluding tax. But you are right.

I was lucky enough to get a TouchPad for £115 in the fire sale. The Kindle is the only thing left, and I'm happy :D

By jagdipa on 28 Sep 2011

Having Amazon's content behind it and a much cheaper price gives Kindle Fire a really good chance in the tablet market.

Don't care too much for a touchscreen Kindle. The side page turning buttons are vital IMO. I can use the device and hold on to a handrail on the train. Little things....

By james016 on 28 Sep 2011

Like the iPod etc.

The price here in the UK will be 20% higher than the USA and elsewhere ON TOP of VAT.

So $79 = £50 + 20% = £61 + transatlantic rip-off fee @ 20-25% = £74-£76.

Still, even £79 is better than £150 currently charged by SONY for their touch screen reader. Their new eReader (PRS-T1) will be $149.99 in the US (£93 ex £111 inc) but the UK price is £129!

By cheysuli on 28 Sep 2011

Bloody hell

It's £89! $79 now equates to £89!!! How the hell will they be able to justify such a large markup? They can sod right off now :-(

By The_Scrote on 28 Sep 2011

Where is the Sanatogen?

Now I just realised why Amazon bought LOVEFiLM.com!

I need to retire to a rest home.

By Alperian on 28 Sep 2011

e ink

not sure if it has e-ink. I have a galaxy tab and my wife has a kindle and on the beach only the kindle could be read in the sunlight - leaving my SGT in the beach bag

By milcome on 28 Sep 2011

That price translation...

it's $79 for the AD SUPPORTED VERSION. The ad-free Kindle costs $109, and that's the model the UK will be getting and the price people should be converting. £90 including VAT isn't so bad in that context.

By Noghar on 28 Sep 2011

When in the UK then?

What's the point of arguing about the GB rip-off when Fire is not available here?

By jasonK on 28 Sep 2011

Kindle Flire 'not available outside the US'

Any idea why? Seems a rather strange decision - almost as if Amazon have been taken over by Leo Apotheker!

By The_Scrote on 28 Sep 2011

Infrastructure

I don't see how Kindle Fire can be made available here until the app stores is launched along with the various video and music services that it integrates with. I don't expect to see it here until this time next year, to be honest.
I'm more puzzled as to why the Touch isn't available when the cheap Kindle is (oh, and by the way, check the specs - it is very inferior to the £109 "keyboard" model). Maybe a supply issue, maybe they want to hold fire (ahem) until they have the ad system in place.

By KevPartner on 28 Sep 2011

Firepad

Bloody devirginized mother of all pads - the kindle fire has set my wallet on fire - can't wait to get my bloody fingers on one.

By arthur_cabot on 29 Sep 2011

loss-leader

@The_Scrote "Any idea why?"

It seems quite likely that at that price, Amazon will take a hit off of each unit sold (if not just about break even). So a loss-leader as someone on here suggested.

I imagine they intend to make their money back off the Fire's surrounding ecosystem of apps, games, videos & other services. Hence, no ecosystem (yet in the UK), no sale..

Doubt they're going to be able to make enough of these to meet demand anyway.. They're gonna sell like hotcakes.

By ihsan on 29 Sep 2011

The Kindle is still a Swindle

Let's look at the facts:

* Amazon claims you have no right to sell or share the books you
buy. They advertise a "lending" feature which, at best, allows you
to lend a book one time *ever*, to one person, who must also be a
Kindle user. You don't get to make the decision about whether you
can lend a book or not -- the publisher and Amazon do. That's not
sharing.

* In fact, when people tried to cooperate to make large-scale use of
the lending function, Amazon shut them down. The most prominent
example of this was the web site Lendle, which is back up now,
albeit with fewer features, including a feature which made it easy
to lend the books you have without typing in all the titles -- a
move forced on them by Amazon to discourage sharing.

* The power exerted over its users, arbitrarily blocking lending of
books and remotely removing books, is unacceptable even if they
later change their minds or promise to stop doing it.

* Amazon is working its way into public libraries and schools now,
subverting the functioning of the very places they, in the above
quote, claim to support.

* Via the wireless connectivity of these devices, Amazon can hold data
about everything you read.

* Also via the connectivity, Amazon can delete books from
Kindles. They have already done this multiple times. They say they
won't do it anymore, but they make users sign an agreement which
still gives them the authority to. They have demonstrated only
reasons to doubt their word.

* Although it is possible to use the Kindle for DRM-free materials,
that is not the system that Amazon is promoting or working most
actively toward. Funding Amazon's work in this area, even if you use
it differently, is supporting their moves at limiting sharing and
access to books.

**The result: More of the same: A major threat to the shareability --
like fire -- that has enabled human culture and knowledge to
advance.

By lakersforce on 29 Sep 2011

davec93

Currently the price of the Kindle in the UK is £89 for the new version, Kindle 'Keyboard' WiFi £109 and the 3G version £149, where as the same models in the USA are $79, $99 and $149 but US sales tax has to be added to those prices, typically around 7.5% (varies state to state and some you don't pay the tax on mail order purchases). I bought my wife's 3g version in the states, it works perfectly well over here, buying books is no problem but has to be via my Amazon.com account (not Amazon.co.UK) Having bought a book we can share it on the Kindle, laptop or Galaxy tab.

Anyway, if people are happy and willing to pay £149 for the current (UK) 3g model then surely they will be willing to pay, at least, £149 for the new Fire version.

By davec593 on 29 Sep 2011

davec93

Currently the price of the Kindle in the UK is £89 for the new version, Kindle 'Keyboard' WiFi £109 and the 3G version £149, where as the same models in the USA are $79, $99 and $149 but US sales tax has to be added to those prices, typically around 7.5% (varies state to state and some you don't pay the tax on mail order purchases). I bought my wife's 3g version in the states, it works perfectly well over here, buying books is no problem but has to be via my Amazon.com account (not Amazon.co.UK) Having bought a book we can share it on the Kindle, laptop or Galaxy tab.

Anyway, if people are happy and willing to pay £149 for the current (UK) 3g model then surely they will be willing to pay, at least, £149 for the new Fire version.

By davec593 on 29 Sep 2011

Sales twists

Lets just hope this tablet doesn't have the same sloooow capabilities as those cheapy Android Tablets such as the NeXT stores Android tablet.
If it does, Amazon will likely have pulled off one of the best twists in modern times, by selling a tablet worth roughly $100 at just under $200, whilst everybody thinks its a miracle! Why automatically assume it has the same CPU specs as a Galaxy Tab 10.1!?
Lets see, its not Android 3, there's no camera, no mic, no 3G connection...
Lets hear about what it has in it before drawing conclusions about low pricing, its general responsiveness, ultimately.

By Heliosphan on 29 Sep 2011

@Heliosphan

I'd be incredibly surprised if it is sluggish and/or has poor build quality. Amazon have a lot staked on this product and have a pretty good track record - their Kindle is a really solid product. Moreover, they can afford to make a loss on the hardware because each Kindle Fire sold will rake in the money in associated media sales. So why risk all that potential revenue by cutting corners in the device itself?

By longn on 29 Sep 2011

@longn

Oh I sincerely hope so, I'd love the idea of a proper tablet with a proper ecosystem surrounding it which might avoid some current issues with Android (heres hoping a lot!)
But oh, wait. US only for the time being, forget it, non UK news.

By Heliosphan on 2 Oct 2011