8 ms·

Kindle Fire is sold out forever, Kindle Fire 2 expected next week

43 points by ukdm 14y ago

manojlds 14y ago
Aren't the Fires loss-making? That may be the reason for it being "sold out" till the Fire 2
- polshaw 14y ago
  They might have been on launch (although i strongly doubt it personally- see cost of Chinese tablets- which also get no benefit from market sales), but they certainly aren't now.
- EwanToo 14y ago
  They might of been loss making at first, but people seem to forget that mass manufacturing and general technology improvements make things a lot cheaper to make over the life of the product.
- edderly 14y ago
  It's always difficult to know for sure but the calculated BOM cost is $143. http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4230653/TechInsights-says-Kindle-Fire-BoM-about--143 http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4230653/TechInsights...
polshaw 14y ago
I wonder how much they will target increased performance vs cost/power reduction. After all, the original fire was fast enough for the basic content consumption which seems to be the core idea of it.
potatolicious 14y ago
Count me out - I was a launch-day customer for the Kindle Fire 1, and I will frankly never trust Amazon again when it comes to devices. I still have a hard time believing that Amazon willfully and knowingly shipped such an awful product. With excellent 7" tablets like the Nexus 7 out in the wild, I have a hard time seeing why someone will buy a crippled, less featured, less responsive, slower device with god-awful usability.
- vijayr 14y ago
  I bought it too the day it was released. Returned it the very next day - it was horrible. May be they'll do a better job this time. They are surely aware of newer/better competition.
- eLobato 14y ago
  True that, the original Amazon coated Android sucks a lot. But I couldn't be happier with JB on my Kindle Fire, it is AMAZINGLY fast, and I have never experienced any kind of lagginess whatsoever. I had mine as a hackathon prize and if I had to buy one I'd buy a Nexus 7, but heck, when I got mine there were no $199 tablets as good as the Kindle Fire.
- jd 14y ago
  I agree that the Kindle Fire is awful, but the Kindle 4 (the small one without the keyboard) is brilliant. And I'm eagerly awaiting next year's version. And if buying a dud upsets you, why buy fancy new gadgets on launch day in the first place? Just wait a week or two for the reviews to come in. That's just common sense.
  - potatolicious 14y ago
    IMO the Kindle Fire dropped below the generously low bar for a dud - I've bought plenty of dud devices before without feeling too raw about it (the iPad 1, for example, which didn't really find a solid use until the second iteration). My issue with the Kindle Fire is that the "dud-ness" of the device seems willfully negligent as opposed to merely missing the mark. It's like buying a video game that just didn't turn out to be very fun, vs. a video game that's no-fun and crashes every 5 minutes. One is disappointing, the other is infuriating in its unprofessionalism and lack of respect for their own product.
    - Simucal 14y ago
      Can you expand on your comment about how the iPad didn't find a solid use until the second iteration? Not sure what that means.
sudonim 14y ago
Sold out? Or taken off the market? I wonder if they have any remaining inventory that they're deciding not to sell and "selling out" is to try to create demand for the next device.
- runevault 14y ago
  I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case, and they use a woot! daily deal/part of a wootoff to clean out remaining stock later after the 2 launches.
programminggeek 14y ago
I really enjoy my Kindle Fire, as an ebook reader, rss reader, and web browser it is awesome. 7" form factor is great. Comparing the Nexus 7 to the year old tech of the Kindle Fire (it was originally the BB Playbook), is a bit silly. I'm sure the Kindle Fire 2 will be faster, better, etc. I wonder how long til a Kindle Fire Phone....
- makmanalp 14y ago
  I always thought putting a tablet against your face was a bit awkward, which I assumed was why all these tablets didn't have phone features.
  - icebraining 14y ago
    My boss uses his as a phone, and it is awkward. That said, a bluetooth headset should work fine.
    - rooster8 14y ago
      The current Kindle Fire does not support bluetooth.
      - icebraining 14y ago
        Well, it doesn't support making calls either. We were talking about an hypothetical Kindle Fire Phone.
- ericmoritz 14y ago
  The Nexus 7 out shines the Kindle Fire, not because the N7 is more powerful, the N7 beats out the Kindle Fire because it isn't crippled. A Kindle Fire with CM9 on it is only worse than the N7 because CM9 is buggier and ICS is uglier than stock Jelly Bean. EDIT: I ditched my Kindle Fire for a N7 before Jellybean was available for the Fire.
- HelloMcFly 14y ago
  I got the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet on release, and the difference in quality (favoring the Nook) was dramatic. The Fire felt and performed like a cheap Chinese knockoff tablet.
pragmatic 14y ago
I have the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. A bonus of the Kindle Fire is the battery life. It seems to be better than the Nexus 7 (I need to measure this). One problem with the N7 (an otherwise fantastic device), I can't get the screen dim enough for reading in a dark room. The screen always seems too bright even on the lowest setting. So I still use my Fire for night time reading and taking to the Gym. Perhaps that is why the battery of the Fire seems to last longer (I need to check the devices when I get home). While the fire is clunky, tt gets the job done. I just can't believe how good a $200 tablet can be (first the Fire was good enough, then the Nexus 7 which as just short of amazing)
- skystorm 14y ago
  Regarding screen brightness at night, you could give this a try: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haxor https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haxor
w1ntermute 14y ago
The Kindle Fire 2 had better be some hot shit, because competing with the Nexus 7 isn't going to be easy.
- mmahemoff 14y ago
  That was my thought. Nexus 7 took everyone by surprise. I finally got my hands on it and was blown away by how much better it was than the cheapo Android 7" tablets I've previously used. Nexus 7 came out at IO, 2 months ago. So it's hard to believe Amazon could have done much with the Fire 2 after they saw the Nexus 7 (unless they managed to see it before it came out, unlikely). It would be nice to believe they could independently come up with something as great as Nexus 7, but coming from the baseline of Fire 1, we'll probably have to wait for v3 for the competition to get serious.
neovive 14y ago
This is shaping up to be a interesting fourth quarter for the 7" tablet consumer market. Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft are finally going head-to-head with their own devices (where they control both the software and hardware). It will be interesting to see how consumers respond.
mhd 14y ago
Wonder whether the availability of the Amazon App Store in Germany (starting today) is a coincidence, or whether the Fire 2 will become international (IIRC the same as happened with the regular Kindle).
cek 14y ago
I've never gotten a Kindle prediction right. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying: This time: Fire 7" @$129 Fire 10" @$299 Still &roid. Color-e-ink-touch model: $89. No phone.
- simon 14y ago
  You may not be right, but you can always be wrong with style! :-) I like your numbers. I hope you're right. Now, if Amazon would just add EPUB support to the Kindles, I'd buy that largescreen DX in a heartbeat.
  - chimeracoder 14y ago
    They may not have it natively, but you can download epub readers (or alternatively, Calibre can be used to convert epub -> mobi).
    - simon 14y ago
      I really don't want to convert to mobi, because it's a less expressive format. Are these epub readers downloadable without having to root the device? That would be worth considering.
      - chimeracoder 14y ago
        You can sideload an .apk without rooting the device, yes.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
"Even so, why has Amazon chosen to announce its tablet has sold out completely rather than continuing to manufacture it or having the Kindle Fire 2 ready to announce?" Well most everyone believes that Apple is about to announce a 7.85" iPad which would be a competitor, perhaps Amazon wants to put some 'doubt' into the minds of folks who are using their iPads primarily as e-readers? My speculation would be that the competitive threat of a 7" iPad is that its a good e-reader, and it does all the other cool stuff an iPad can do. Vs a Kindle Fire (one or two) which is primarily an e-reader, and it can browse the web a bit, and oh yeah its really cost effective for that. Depending on the price difference between the Fire/iPad this exchange might 'price out' the value to consumers for the extra features the iPad offers. Should be interesting to watch.
kmfrk 14y ago
Did Amazon ever fix the problem where your bookmarks would disappear, if you downloaded an update for a book?

43 points by ukdm 14y ago

manojlds 14y ago

Aren't the Fires loss-making? That may be the reason for it being "sold out" till the Fire 2

polshaw 14y ago
They might have been on launch (although i strongly doubt it personally- see cost of Chinese tablets- which also get no benefit from market sales), but they certainly aren't now.
EwanToo 14y ago
They might of been loss making at first, but people seem to forget that mass manufacturing and general technology improvements make things a lot cheaper to make over the life of the product.
edderly 14y ago
It's always difficult to know for sure but the calculated BOM cost is $143. http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4230653/TechInsights-says-Kindle-Fire-BoM-about--143 http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4230653/TechInsights...

polshaw 14y ago

I wonder how much they will target increased performance vs cost/power reduction. After all, the original fire was fast enough for the basic content consumption which seems to be the core idea of it.

potatolicious 14y ago

Count me out - I was a launch-day customer for the Kindle Fire 1, and I will frankly never trust Amazon again when it comes to devices. I still have a hard time believing that Amazon willfully and knowingly shipped such an awful product. With excellent 7" tablets like the Nexus 7 out in the wild, I have a hard time seeing why someone will buy a crippled, less featured, less responsive, slower device with god-awful usability.

vijayr 14y ago
I bought it too the day it was released. Returned it the very next day - it was horrible. May be they'll do a better job this time. They are surely aware of newer/better competition.
eLobato 14y ago
True that, the original Amazon coated Android sucks a lot. But I couldn't be happier with JB on my Kindle Fire, it is AMAZINGLY fast, and I have never experienced any kind of lagginess whatsoever. I had mine as a hackathon prize and if I had to buy one I'd buy a Nexus 7, but heck, when I got mine there were no $199 tablets as good as the Kindle Fire.
jd 14y ago
I agree that the Kindle Fire is awful, but the Kindle 4 (the small one without the keyboard) is brilliant. And I'm eagerly awaiting next year's version. And if buying a dud upsets you, why buy fancy new gadgets on launch day in the first place? Just wait a week or two for the reviews to come in. That's just common sense.
- potatolicious 14y ago
  IMO the Kindle Fire dropped below the generously low bar for a dud - I've bought plenty of dud devices before without feeling too raw about it (the iPad 1, for example, which didn't really find a solid use until the second iteration). My issue with the Kindle Fire is that the "dud-ness" of the device seems willfully negligent as opposed to merely missing the mark. It's like buying a video game that just didn't turn out to be very fun, vs. a video game that's no-fun and crashes every 5 minutes. One is disappointing, the other is infuriating in its unprofessionalism and lack of respect for their own product.
  - Simucal 14y ago
    Can you expand on your comment about how the iPad didn't find a solid use until the second iteration? Not sure what that means.

sudonim 14y ago

Sold out? Or taken off the market? I wonder if they have any remaining inventory that they're deciding not to sell and "selling out" is to try to create demand for the next device.

runevault 14y ago
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case, and they use a woot! daily deal/part of a wootoff to clean out remaining stock later after the 2 launches.

programminggeek 14y ago

I really enjoy my Kindle Fire, as an ebook reader, rss reader, and web browser it is awesome. 7" form factor is great. Comparing the Nexus 7 to the year old tech of the Kindle Fire (it was originally the BB Playbook), is a bit silly. I'm sure the Kindle Fire 2 will be faster, better, etc. I wonder how long til a Kindle Fire Phone....

makmanalp 14y ago
I always thought putting a tablet against your face was a bit awkward, which I assumed was why all these tablets didn't have phone features.
- icebraining 14y ago
  My boss uses his as a phone, and it is awkward. That said, a bluetooth headset should work fine.
  - rooster8 14y ago
    The current Kindle Fire does not support bluetooth.
    - icebraining 14y ago
      Well, it doesn't support making calls either. We were talking about an hypothetical Kindle Fire Phone.
ericmoritz 14y ago
The Nexus 7 out shines the Kindle Fire, not because the N7 is more powerful, the N7 beats out the Kindle Fire because it isn't crippled. A Kindle Fire with CM9 on it is only worse than the N7 because CM9 is buggier and ICS is uglier than stock Jelly Bean. EDIT: I ditched my Kindle Fire for a N7 before Jellybean was available for the Fire.
HelloMcFly 14y ago
I got the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet on release, and the difference in quality (favoring the Nook) was dramatic. The Fire felt and performed like a cheap Chinese knockoff tablet.

pragmatic 14y ago

I have the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. A bonus of the Kindle Fire is the battery life. It seems to be better than the Nexus 7 (I need to measure this). One problem with the N7 (an otherwise fantastic device), I can't get the screen dim enough for reading in a dark room. The screen always seems too bright even on the lowest setting. So I still use my Fire for night time reading and taking to the Gym. Perhaps that is why the battery of the Fire seems to last longer (I need to check the devices when I get home). While the fire is clunky, tt gets the job done. I just can't believe how good a $200 tablet can be (first the Fire was good enough, then the Nexus 7 which as just short of amazing)

skystorm 14y ago
Regarding screen brightness at night, you could give this a try: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haxor https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haxor

w1ntermute 14y ago

The Kindle Fire 2 had better be some hot shit, because competing with the Nexus 7 isn't going to be easy.

mmahemoff 14y ago
That was my thought. Nexus 7 took everyone by surprise. I finally got my hands on it and was blown away by how much better it was than the cheapo Android 7" tablets I've previously used. Nexus 7 came out at IO, 2 months ago. So it's hard to believe Amazon could have done much with the Fire 2 after they saw the Nexus 7 (unless they managed to see it before it came out, unlikely). It would be nice to believe they could independently come up with something as great as Nexus 7, but coming from the baseline of Fire 1, we'll probably have to wait for v3 for the competition to get serious.

neovive 14y ago

This is shaping up to be a interesting fourth quarter for the 7" tablet consumer market. Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft are finally going head-to-head with their own devices (where they control both the software and hardware). It will be interesting to see how consumers respond.

mhd 14y ago

Wonder whether the availability of the Amazon App Store in Germany (starting today) is a coincidence, or whether the Fire 2 will become international (IIRC the same as happened with the regular Kindle).

cek 14y ago

I've never gotten a Kindle prediction right. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying: This time: Fire 7" @$129 Fire 10" @$299 Still &roid. Color-e-ink-touch model: $89. No phone.

simon 14y ago
You may not be right, but you can always be wrong with style! :-) I like your numbers. I hope you're right. Now, if Amazon would just add EPUB support to the Kindles, I'd buy that largescreen DX in a heartbeat.
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  They may not have it natively, but you can download epub readers (or alternatively, Calibre can be used to convert epub -> mobi).
  - simon 14y ago
    I really don't want to convert to mobi, because it's a less expressive format. Are these epub readers downloadable without having to root the device? That would be worth considering.
    - chimeracoder 14y ago
      You can sideload an .apk without rooting the device, yes.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

"Even so, why has Amazon chosen to announce its tablet has sold out completely rather than continuing to manufacture it or having the Kindle Fire 2 ready to announce?" Well most everyone believes that Apple is about to announce a 7.85" iPad which would be a competitor, perhaps Amazon wants to put some 'doubt' into the minds of folks who are using their iPads primarily as e-readers? My speculation would be that the competitive threat of a 7" iPad is that its a good e-reader, and it does all the other cool stuff an iPad can do. Vs a Kindle Fire (one or two) which is primarily an e-reader, and it can browse the web a bit, and oh yeah its really cost effective for that. Depending on the price difference between the Fire/iPad this exchange might 'price out' the value to consumers for the extra features the iPad offers. Should be interesting to watch.

kmfrk 14y ago

Did Amazon ever fix the problem where your bookmarks would disappear, if you downloaded an update for a book?