Mark Your Calendar for Amazon's New Kindles Day
Apple (NAS: AAPL) ain't the only company looking to have a big September. Amazon.com (NAS: AMZN) has just sent out an invite to various members of the press for a conference held in Santa Monica on Sept. 6. That's just about two weeks away, and there's precisely one thing this event could be about: new Kindles.
That would be almost exactly one year from the date that Amazon unveiled its Android-powered Kindle Fire. Official details are sparse, as Amazon isn't saying much beyond "Be there, or be square." Still, with all the attention surrounding the exploding tablet market, it doesn't need to. Amazon is expected to take the wraps off of not just one, but two new tablets: an upgraded 7-inch version and potentially a 10-inch model to compete with the iPad.
The 7-inch Kindle Fire 2 (or whatever it's called) should feature a higher-quality display with a 1280 x 800 resolution, matching Google's (NAS: GOOG) new Nexus 7. The new device may also see the introduction of a camera, as well as be thinner and lighter. I would also expect higher build quality, as the first-generation model's design was outsourced to Quanta to save time.
Amazon's had plenty of time to put some polish on a tablet that will look more distinct and unique, and not just like a cousin of Research In Motion's PlayBook. Rumors have it that a quad-core NVIDIA (NAS: NVDA) Tegra 3 will be found inside powering the device, another spec similarity with the Nexus 7. Touchscreen microcontroller specialist Atmel (NAS: ATML) witnessed some speculation earlier this year that it scored a seat at Amazon's table.
A 10-inch model would be an important and aggressive move upmarket to challenge the iPad, but you can still expect Amazon to go for the jugular and undercut on price like it always does. Maybe Amazon will use a different naming scheme, too. If it were up to me, I'd go with "Kindle Combustion" or "Kindle Conflagration," but that's just me.
Apple's event is supposed to be held a week later on Sept. 12 for the next iPhone (and maybe even a new iPad Mini), and Microsoft and Nokia are having one the day prior on Sept. 5, presumably to unveil a new Windows Phone 8 device.
It's going to be one heck of a month for the mobile tech world.
For even more on Amazon's key opportunities on the horizon, as well as how the Kindle Fire plays into its broader strategy, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this brand-new premium report all about Amazon. Sign up today and get free regular updates at no additional cost!
The article Mark Your Calendar for Amazon's New Kindles Day originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Evan Niu owns shares of Apple, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Click here to see his holdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Microsoft, Amazon.com, Google, Apple, and NVIDIA. Motley Fool newsletter services have also recommended writing puts on NVIDIA, creating a bull call spread position in Apple, and creating a synthetic covered call position in Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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