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Topic: Mobility

Kindle Fire sold out, successor likely to be announced next week

Summary: Amazon's Kindle Fire has been their most successful product and after nearly a year it is sold out. With an announcement next week, it is likely we will see the successor revealed.

Matthew Miller

By for The Mobile Gadgeteer |

Kindle Fire sold out, successor likely to be announced next week

Amazon took the 7 inch tablet to new levels with the Kindle Fire and in just nine months they captured 22% of US tablet sales. Amazon just announced the Kindle Fire is SOLD OUT. They don't state how many were sold, just that "millions of customers" made the "Kindle Fire the most successful product launch in the history of Amazon."

Amazon sent out invitations to the press for an event in California on Thursday, 6 September, and with this new sold out announcement I am now sure it will be for the Kindle Fire successor. There have been rumors of a larger Kindle Fire, but I would prefer to see a smaller one with nicer designed hardware. The first Kindle was a bit chunky and clunky and Amazon went on to make much better hardware so they can do the same with the Kindle Fire.

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16 comments
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  • That's Why I Waited on the Google Nexus 7

    I had the money in hand, but I waited before buying a Google Nexus 7. I wanted to see what Amazon was going to offer next. Glad I waited (well, the fact the Nexus 7 was sold out every where helped too).
    dvanderwerken
    Reply 2 Votes

  • Amazon reader/tablet

    Amazon is, to a large extent, about books and reading, their tablet should provide a true reading experience. This also applies to the B&N tablet and by now some one should have put out a better alternati ve to E-ink or LCD screens. Samsung, Sony, MSF are you listening?
    primartcloud
    Reply 2 Votes

    • Alternative to E-ink or LCD screens

      I have a plain, old fashioned, first generation Kindle, and a BB PlayBook. The playbook is handy, as I can use it as a convenient connection, to the world, while at the same time, carry some Kindle reading material. However, if I am going to do serious reading, I have found nothing as easy on the eyes as my Kindle. So - while they may come up with some technical improvements for E-ink, I am not sure there will be any appreciative improvement, in the look.
      JAG39
      Reply Vote

      • You're wrong about e-ink improvements

        I have a second generation e-ink Kindle. While it's still nice, the newer e-ink screens are so much more clear, with better contrast and resolution. They are noticably better than the older screens.
        RationalGuy
        Reply Vote

  • Strange coincidence

    What an amazing coincidence! Just as the sales of the Fire were dropping through the floor, Amazon says that they are all sold out! And just when Nexus 7 is selling like Amazon wished Fire would.

    What better way to tell everyone that the fire was such a wonderful product that people couldn't buy it fast enough. So now you had better buy the next Fire before it sell out too!

    B.S. (And that is not my college degree)
    Doc.Savage
    Reply 4 Votes

    • No coincidence at all

      I think Amazon is quite pleased with Kindle sales. I think the Fire has a lot of rough edges, but so does Nexus 7. Neither of them come close to the iPad.

      I'm still holding out to see what MS, and Amazon bring to the table this Fall.

      Right now, Im leaning towards buying an iPad.
      otaddy
      Reply 3 Votes

      • Hmm

        What are these Nexus 7 rough edges you're talking about?

        I have a Nexus 7 and an iPad 3 but the Nexus gets much more use than the iPad.
        slickjim
        Reply 1 Vote

    • Re: B.S. (And that is not my college degree)

      Obviously not - very apparently it is your cranial content!
      Willnott
      Reply Vote

      • BS

        Dear Willnott,

        Might I inquire as to why you conclude that my response to Amazon’s announcement of having sold out the Fire tablets is indicative that my cranium is saturated with bovine excrement? I was simply pointing out that it was a strange coincidence that they “sold out” before the sales level of that unit fell to embarrassing levels, and immediately before the introduction of a new model, with the implication that the product was highly successful and much to be desired and, therefore, customers should immediately buy the new produce before it, too, disappears from the shelves.

        Even you, in a later response, used the phrase: “When a market saturates so quickly...,” indicating that the sales of Fire Tablets have fallen off drastically.

        I stated that this usage of the letters “B” and “S” did not designate Bachelor of Science in this case. I did not say that I do not have a BS. As it happens, I do have a Bachelor of Science in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Science in the same field, AND a PhD in a different field. Hence the nickname “Doc.”

        Perhaps you are simply an Amazon/Fire “fanboy” and do not like anyone suggesting that the company is anything short of perfect? That is the only reason I can think of for you to suggest that I am “full of it.”

        Have a nice day,

        Doc Savage
        Doc.Savage
        Reply Vote

    • Sales were not dropping through the floor.

      This is a common misconception. Fire shipments went way down. Shipment Sales. This means that they produced too many to start with so they wouldn't be short over the 2011 holidays. They were still in the channel (i.e. on store shelves or Amazon's warehouse). When they shipped the next batch, it was way way down (i.e. order of magnitude down) but that is shipment, not sales and that is a big big difference. Sales stayed steady until now that they finally ran out. Now sales would be dropping to the floor with zero inventory.
      ManoaHI
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Not Strage, but Desperate.

      Nexus7 is much more capable than the Kindle. For those of us who are not afraid of computers, an Ipad is a waste of money.
      TheSaint777
      Reply 1 Vote

  • Fire

    I had a fire and Iiked it... however, the idea of vendor lock in doesn't work for me. I now have both a Nexus 7 and an iPad 3 which I have movies in Amazon and Apple, Songs in Google and Amazon, and Books in All three providers.
    slickjim
    Reply 2 Votes

  • (Yawn...)

    When a market saturates so quickly the inventors are under a lot of pressure to revive the cash cow with another spin. Might be another winner, but then with Dilbert's 50% success rate by flipping that copper disk, might just flub. Can't tell until we see how shoppers react.
    Willnott
    Reply Vote

  • Never Like the Lack Of Privacy

    One reason I didn't consider the Kindle is because of privacy concerns. All web traffic is being fed through their proxy servers. So if you search for a product on another website, they know exactly how much to adjust their prices. I'm not saying they do, but they have the capability.
    TheSaint777
    Reply Vote

  • Who's losing money on tablets?

    We know Apple's making a fortune from tablets.
    Amazon seems to have made a dent and probably earned some bucks too.
    But, all the rest of the companies only seem to lose money on their tablets.
    Perhaps Google might do somewhat well too.

    This really makes it seem like whoever controls their app market stands a greater chance of doing well in the emerging tablet universe.

    I know from experience that the early Android tablets only proved just how bad a tablet could be when it had little brotherhood with the apps which run on the platform.
    camcost@...
    Reply Vote

  • The difference

    Amazon stopped selling the Fire even though they could of produced more.
    Apple is still selling the iPhone 4S and 4 even with the "iPhone 5" coming out in 3 weeks.
    So who is ripping off customers.
    Gisabun
    Reply Vote
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