Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle Fire tablet burst onto the scene ahead of the holidays last year and despite increasing competition in the tablet market, Amazon reeled in 22% of the tablet market in the United States with just one model. Amazon’s original Kindle Fire is the best tablet in the world at the sub-$200 price point according to the company, but Amazon seemingly aimed much higher with its new tablet lineup.
“We have the best tablet at any price,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told AllThingsD in an interview. “Last year, we wanted to build the best tablet at a certain price. And, this year, we wanted to build the best tablet at any price. Take away the price and it’s still the best tablet. It also happens to be only $499.”
Bezos was referring to the company’s new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE, which provides users with 250MB of LTE data each month for a shockingly low $49.99 per year. And in stating that the new slate is the “best tablet at any price,” the message is clear: Bezos says his new flagship tablet is better than Apple’s (AAPL) iPad.
Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire HD goes on sale starting at $199 this Friday and the 8.9-inch version — the best tablet in the world, according to Amazon — becomes available in mid-November starting at $299.
