Amazon Scores Deal With Major Magazines for New Tablet
The Kindle for full-color magazines?
People curious about the forthcoming Amazon tablet, and more importantly, curious to see if it will actually have useful features, might have reason to check it out. At least if they're into fashion, golf or travel magazines. According to All Things Digital, Amazon has reached an agreement to sell digital versions of Conde Nast, Hearst Publishing and Meredith magazines on their tablet. This largely continues an already fruitful relationship between the publishers and Amazon, and reportedly is similar to Apple's 70/30 split of proceeds from iPad magazine sales. The elephant in the room is that Time Warner has yet to sign on with Amazon, though both parties suggest a deal is imminent by year's end, ensuring a steady flow of bland news to a Time Magazine-hungry public.
Amazon already claims to be the world's largest online retailer, with over 34 billion in sales in 2010. With that market advantage taken along with this publishing deal, the launch of their Android-based tab might represent the real competition for Apple's iPad. Though the tablet, simply branded at the latest version of Amazon's Kindle e-reader, doesn't compete technologically with iPad - a 7-inch screen, single core CPU and 6 gigs of internal storage is going to get sand kicked in its face - it comes in at a cheap $250.00. It also comes with a free subscription to Amazon Prime, and a built-in sales platform that actually rivals iTunes has the potential to offer tough competition, or at least keep Amazon in the game until their rumored bigger tablet drops some time next year.
Related:
- Swimsuit Models Take the Wheel in Next Need For Speed
- McAfee Covers All Your Devices with "All Access"
- The BlackBerry PlayBook Gets a $200 Price Cut
- Report: Amazon Tablet Really PlayBook in Disguise
- Apple Confirms Next iPhone Event for October 4
- Amazon Announces Press Conference for Sept. 28
- Apple Blocking Off October Vacations for Staff
- Samsung Ships 10,000,000 Galaxy S2 Handsets
- Glowstick Implants May Help Diabetics Stay Healthy
- Microsoft Files Patent For 1.4 Gigapixel Camera
- Akoya Recreational Plane Offers Endless Possibilities
- Magnetic Cello Ditches Bow & Strings for Magnet & Coil
- Jet Airliner Concept Inspired by the Bar Tailed Godwit
- Volkswagen CEO Gets Upset Over Hyundai Build Quality
- Rugged Asus Android Tablet is Splash, Dust-Resistant
- Amazon CEO Confirms Kindle Fire's $199 Price
- Sharp's 80-inch Aquos LED LCD TV Will Cost $5,500
- Amazon Announces Three New Ultra-cheap Kindles
- Amazon Makes $199 Android-based Kindle Fire Tablet
So it's basically a stop gap to their actual product? It's seems really underpowered too. The Kindle for full-color magazines is the appropriate term.
I think Amazon has got it spot on with their tablet. Its cheap and does everything that the average consumer expects of a tablet. They only thing it can't do is play demanding games.
A new Touchpad on eBay still the best tablet deal right now then.
Do internet savvy people read magazines? Nothing like getting 2mo old news.
It was always going to be about the content, if Amazon can land the content providers then it doesn't matter if the hardware is underpowered, exactly how powerful do you need to be to read a magazine?