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Topic: Tablets

Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

Summary: Are you sure you want to rush out and buy that Kindle Fire tablet that Amazon is announcing tomorrow? According to some sleuthing by Ryan Block, co-founder of gdgt.

Sean Portnoy

By for Laptops & Desktops |

Are you sure you want to rush out and buy that Kindle Fire tablet that Amazon is announcing tomorrow? According to some sleuthing by Ryan Block, co-founder of gdgt.com, you may be getting a slate that's being rushed out to make the upcoming holiday shopping season -- and that will be soon be replaced by a better version.

By now, you may know that the Kindle Fire appears to be based on the RIM PlayBook, which hasn't exactly set the world on, er, fire. While that fact alone may not be big problem for Amazon shoppers -- after all, it won't be burdened with the idiosyncrasies Research in Motion baked into the PlayBook user experience -- early adopters might want to know a few other things about how Kindle Fire v1.0 came to be. According to Block, there were a few hiccups along the road. Amazon's own Kindle product team wanted no part in developing the Fire, and some hardware issues have forced the company to use a slower processor than it would have liked to. His sources conclude that it's "supposed to be pretty poor."

Nonetheless, the Kindle Fire could work fine for many tablet buyers if the hardware performs decently, and the interface is usable enough (more on that here). But Block is now reporting that Amazon will be releasing another Kindle Fire in the first quarter of next year, and it's the one about which the company is really excited. Why that is, we're not sure, but it apparently is.

In other words, you just might want to save your tablet dollars for Kindle Fire 2 if you really desire Amazon's best. That is, if you can bear the wait.

Topics: Tablets, Amazon, Hardware, Laptops, Mobility

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17 comments
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  • Wait, a new model is coming!

    Isn't that always the case? Don't buy now, because a new model will be coming soon! Most reports put the new model that is coming next year as a 10" model, not an improved version of the 7". I tend to believe that those who want a bigger model will wait, and those of us who don't want a 10" model to lug around will buy the current model.

    Much is made in this report of the fact that the current one will have a slower processor. Really, how much does that matter? Look at the current market. We have a slew of high end (and high priced) tablets sitting on shelves because most of us aren't inclined to pay $600 for a tablet (Apple's buyers excepted). We also have the Nook Color, which is low spec and low priced, selling like hot cakes. Outside of the Apple universe, price DOES matter. What most people want is a reasonably priced tablet to do simple tasks (reading, music, video, email, and light internet), and that does not require high end hardware. More important is having an ecosystem to make consumption easy and inexpensive, and Amazon will offer that.
    itpro_z
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

      @itpro_z

      Exactly, when is it ever NOT the case that a 'new and improved' version is going to come out later....

      If you wait around for 'the best' you'll never buy anything.
      Doctor Demento
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      • Except that buying 1st Gen anything is always a stupid investment

        @Doctor Demento nt
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    • RE: Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

      @jbless just bought a kindle previous week, it rocks
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  • I'm waiting for color e-ink.. Might be a while but oh well..

    I love my kindle but they have been talking about color e-ink since the first kindle came out. I'm not buying another untill they have color Mirasol displays or better.
    MallusLittera
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  • RE: Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

    A first generation Kindle, A second Generation Kindle, a Nook Color, and iPad, a Netbook, Laptops, Desktops galore are all in the house. I only use my Nook Color to read because I get my books from the NYPL as ePub. My desktop is used for everything else. My wife buys the items and uses the latest as she waits for the new one. Just helpng the economy flurish.
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    • RE: Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

      @noel.a.rivera@...

      Unfortunately not the USA economy, none of these devices are built here.
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  • RE: Next Amazon Kindle Fire tablet could come in a few months. Should you really buy the first version?

    I decided that at the $199 price point I could buy one now and be better able to evaluate the improvements on the next one. I'm sure someone would be willing to take the v 1.0 off my hands...
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