Amazon Kindle Fire 10.1-inch tablet on the way?

The Gadget Show  Monday 21 May 2012

Despite the efforts of Amazon and its Kindle Fire tablet, the iPad continues to dominate. How about a bigger Kindle Fire? Amazon is being tipped to launch a larger 10.1-inch version of the tablet in the third quarter of 2012. Meanwhile UK bookseller Waterstones will begin selling the Amazon Kindle, welcoming the digital book reader with open arms, alongside its physical copies. 


But first to the Amazon Kindle Fire. It is believed that a bigger 10.1-inch version will do battle with the likes of the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 by competing not just on size, but on price.

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As a result Amazon may suspend plans for an 8.9-inch model in favour of a bigger tablet to compete on a more even footing with Apple and Samsung, Digitimes reports citing the latest “market rumours”.

Unfortunately for UK gadget fans the Amazon Kindle Fire has yet to drop in stores, but should a 10.1-inch Amazon Kindle Fire arrive and be priced similarly in line with the current 7-inch model at $199 (£126) it could certainly stir up the competition by offering similar features at a lower price.

Prices for the new iPad start at £399. A 10.1-inch will almost certainly cost less than the 9.7-inch iPad. Regular readers will also note rumours of Apple considering launching a smaller, cheaper iPad Mini. If true, it looks like Apple already has already planned for the competition. That is, despite former Apple boss Steve Jobs insistence that a smaller iPad would not be a possibility.

Meanwhile it has emerged that Waterstones will sell the Amazon Kindle in the UK in refurbished stores offering free Wi-Fi and dedicated digital zones, as the bookseller gets ready to welcome the growing digital revolution.

Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos’ praised the deal. “Waterstones is the premier high street bookseller and is passionate about books,” adding “we could never hope for a better partner to bring together digital reading and the physical bookstore.”

Can digital and physical books live side-by-side? Or is it time to go all-digital? Let us know what you think below. 



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