“As you might have heard from my man MG over at TechCrunch, Amazon’s definitely got a Kindle tablet in the works, and supposedly looks a lot like RIM’s failing (failed?) PlayBook,” Ryan Block reports for GDGT.
When “Amazon’s executives decided to do an Android tablet — far likelier to respond to the dark-horse success of the Nook Color than to the adjacent success of the iPad — Amazon’s own Kindle group (called Lab 126) apparently opted not to take on the project, in favor of continuing to work solely on next-gen E-Ink-based devices,” Block reports. “From there, Amazon’s team determined they could build a tablet without the help and experience of Lab 126, so they turned to Quanta, which helped them “shortcut” the development process by using the PlayBook as their hardware template… I’m told Amazon ran into trouble, and eventually sacrifices were made (like using a slower processor).”
Block reports, ” I’m told that this first tablet of theirs is ‘supposed to be pretty poor’ and is a ‘stopgap’ in order to get a tablet out the door for the 2011 holiday season.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Thomas65807” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Analysts claim Amazon’s tablet will be serious challenge to Apple’s iPad – September 26, 2011
Amazon to hold media event on September 28th – September 23, 2011
No worries, iPad, Amazon’s Android ‘tablet’ just a ‘Nook killer’ – September 6, 2011
Amazon’s Android tablet really only a 7-inch color Kindle – September 3, 2011
oh god, not a another V.1 turd after massive hype build up, please. it’s just too disgusting.
You mean I can get an underpowered Playbook from a company with very little experience smoothly integrating hardware and software? Not to mention it runs an OS thats prone to malware and other security nightmares? Of course it doesn’t use e-ink, the one saving grace of the Kindle and I’m betting it doesn’t have the free 3G service of the kindle either, or the huge battery life of the kindle. Well with all that high praise, sign me up!
Edsel
What did the Edsel ever do to you? It was a far better success than this Amazon almost ready to be called a tablet will ever be.
It is turds like this book reader that they keep counting as iPad killers. It is a digital e-book reader. (Maybe) That is all. Are they calling my Garmin or Tom Tom GPS device a tablet? They have a touch screen. So does my camera. Is it a tablet?
They will not call the iPad a computer (Except Steve Ballmer who does call it a computer.), but they will call everything else an tablet iPad killer.
Amazon clearly has the customer in its mind, NOT
They had better sell it for $99 from the outset if this is the case.
The difference of course is that Amazon has a content delivery system to back up any tablet they might sell. RIM wishes they something for the Playbook to actually do. Besides flail at Flash I mean.
I guess we’ll find out tomorrow what Amazon has in store.
This brings to mind the South Park episode…
Cartman: Okay, wifi plus 3G, 64 gigs. This one, this one!
Liane: Oh, sweetie, $900?
Cartman: I can’t wait to see the look on Kyle’s stupid face when he sees my iPad has more memory than his!
Liane: Eric, we can’t afford that one.
I think we need to get you a different brand, hon. They’re a little cheaper.
Oh, I’ve got a better idea! Why don’t you go across the street and buy some condoms?! Because we should at least be safe if you’re gonna fsck me, Mom!
You might as well go buy some cigarettes too, because I like to have a smoke after I get good and fscked!
I just don’t understand that line of thinking – we know it’s “pretty poor,” and people won’t like it, and it won’t perform well at all, and it will give our company and the Kindle brand a black eye, but Damn the Torpedoes! We need a new tablet out in time for Christmas because we’ve never had a tablet out for Christmas before, and Apple never has a new device out in time for Christmas (all of their devices on sale for Christmas work great, BTW), and we need it now, Now, NOW!
So you get people hating your tablet when you know it’s a POS before you even release it. So why build it?
That’s why Apple will win in the end. No POS is ever going to leave Apple’s doors, let alone actually get produced. Apple is willing to go without rather than destroy its brand and inflict pain on its customers with substandard products.
They’re hoping enough stupid and/or tech illiterate will buy it based on price for Christmas. Enough to make it look like a success.
They would be much better off taking the inevitable hit to their stock price for not delivering before the holiday season and continuing to develop a good product, than rushing a half-baked POS out.
Amazon does have some seriously loyal customers though, so they can probably release an uncooked turd initially and then come out with what should have been the first gen next year and still recover from it.
This will be the new ‘lump of coal’ to get for your kid for Christmas. The Boxing week returns will be huge.
If I was a kid and got this Amazon tablet, I’d run away from home.
I’m confused.
DOA
Bad Tablet = Amazon’s Reputation (Loss of) ……
Amazon has a really good name for selling products and their books / bookstore and of course the Kindle ….. but if …..
But if Amazon Tablet is a “dud” it will harm their reputation – Gotta wonder what they are thinking – or what they are smoking????