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Amazon.com will launch the Kindle Fire Nov. 15. When it does, everyone from Apple CEO Tim Cook to the first customer to place a preorder for the tablet will be anxious to find out if it can live up to the hype.
For Amazon, there is a lot riding on the Kindle Fire. If the device succeeds, the online retail giant will have a tablet that can finally give the Apple iPad a run for its money. But if Kindle Fire’s sales were to disappoint, it would join the growing number of tablets that tried and failed to carve out a respectable share in the tablet market.
That said, it looks like Amazon won’t have anything to worry about when it launches the Kindle Fire. Already, the device appears to be well on its way to succeeding in a way that most other tablets can only wish to match. From an affordable price to a list of integrated services that makes even Apple blush, the Kindle Fire is shipping with the best chance yet of at least coming close to matching the iPad.
Read on to find out why the Kindle Fire will have a huge launch:
1. Attention hasn’t waned
When other Android tablets have launched over the past year, they mostly received some attention when they were announced and then quickly fell off the map soon after. But the Kindle Fire is different. Since its announcement earlier this year, talk about the device hasn’t waned one bit. And that should help the Kindle Fire score strong sales at launch.
2. It’s all over Amazon.com
Amazon.com is the most important online retail site in the world. Luckily for the Kindle Fire, it has been front and center on that page ever since it was announced. By making the Kindle Fire so well known among customers, Amazon has improved preorders and effectively cemented its chances of seeing a strong launch.
3. The price is right
Let’s face it: At $199, the Kindle Fire is a bargain. Currently, the iPad 2 goes for $499. Other Android tablets, like the cheapest version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, are also available for $499. Only Vizio and Barnes & Noble are offering worthwhile tablets that are even close to the Kindle Fire in price. That could very well make the Kindle Fire a success at launch.
4. People are heavily invested in Amazon products
The nice thing about the Kindle Fire is that it integrates a host of Amazon services, including its Kindle e-book store, MP3 marketplace, cloud locker and much more. So, customers that are already using those services-and there are many-will be far more likely to buy the Kindle Fire over any other device. Amazon’s integrated services are a key selling point for the Kindle Fire.
Amazon Has Already Built a Strong Brand Identity With Kindle
5. Apps galore
Interestingly, the Kindle Fire will launch without support for the Android Market. Instead, the device will offer applications from Amazon’s own applications marketplace. Even so, customers shouldn’t expect to miss out on applications. From Netflix to Angry Birds to Pandora, just about all the mobile programs customers are after will be available on the Kindle Fire. That’s more than what can be said for the HP TouchPad or BlackBerry PlayBook when those devices launched.
6. It’s the right time
Amazon made the shrewd move of launching the Kindle Fire around the holiday-shopping season. Right now, consumers around the globe are getting ready to spend their savings to get gifts for friends and family. By launching the Kindle Fire now, Amazon could very well have put its device atop holiday shopping lists and ensured that its tablet will gain significant market share in the fourth quarter.
7. It’s capitalizing on the Kindle
If the Kindle Fire was the first hardware device from Amazon, folks might not be as excited about it. But considering the Kindle has been such a success, consumers around the world know that Amazon understands how to deliver a worthwhile device. Simply put, the Kindle Fire is building upon the success of its predecessors.
8. The surveys say so
Recently, research firm ChangeWave conducted a survey of 2,600 consumers, asking them how they felt about the Kindle Fire. The research firm found that 5 percent of respondents had already ordered the Kindle Fire, while another 12 percent said they planned on ordering it. The findings were impressive, since an earlier study for the iPad revealed 4 percent had bought it before its 2010 launch and 9 percent were likely to buy it. Right now, it appears the Kindle Fire is more desirable than the iPad at its own launch. That’s not bad company to be in.
9. It has little competition
Aside from Apple’s iPad, what Android-based tablet on store shelves right now should worry Amazon? Currently, not a single company has been able to succeed in the tablet space other than Apple, which means the timing seems perfect for the Kindle Fire to buck that trend. If Amazon’s tablet had more competition, it might not be such a good idea to be bullish on the device. But since it lacks the competition in its price range, the road seems clear for it to hit the second spot in the marketplace.
10. It’s really an Amazon OS
Although the Kindle Fire is running Android, it’s important to point out that Amazon has spent an inordinate amount of time making the operating system its very own. In fact, when customers get their hands on the tablet, they’ll find that it’s a unique operating system that only relies on Android to perform its most basic tasks. That’s important. Currently, Android hasn’t proven successful in the tablet market. But with its OS strategy, Amazon might have found a way to change that.