Amazon’s continuing its month-long spree[1] of hardware announcements by refreshing its line of low cost slates. The Fire 7 is retaining its $50 price point, while getting an improved screen resolution and increased battery life. The 8 HD, meanwhile is more or less the same as its predecessor (it just got refreshed late last year[2]), but is getting a $10 price drop, down to $80.
Amazon is also taking the time to update the Kids Editions of both tablets, bundling in a year subscription of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, its parental dashboard that usually runs $3 a month for access to a variety of kid-friendly content. The systems also feature rugged cases and a two-year warranty for clumsy hands, along with a storage bump. Though all of that comes at a relative premium, running $100 and $130, respectively.
The line isn’t much in the way of hardware process, but then, that’s not really the point. The tablets are cheap, and as such mark a rare bright spot in a category that’s been performing pretty dismally in recent years[3]. As premium companies have suffered from much slower upgrade cycles, Amazon has managed to climb the ladder. Many users are perfectly satisfied with their older devices, while the Fire’s $50 starting price could well convince many folks to buy a second device, or something for the kids.
According to numbers released by IDC[4] earlier this year, the company has worked up to third place in the global tablet market, behind Apple and Samsung, with just under 10-percent of the total over market. It’s pretty widely understood that the company’s position isn’t a reflection of solid hardware – instead it’s a direct result of the company’s consistent...
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