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Amazon Mobile Devices

by Michael Gariffo

Copyright 2021, Faulkner Information
Services. All Rights Reserved.

Docid: 00021329

Publication Date: 2101

Report Type: PRODUCT

Preview

Amazon’s first entry into the personal electronics market was the original
Kindle e-reader. Now, with numerous generations of the Kindle Fire and the
Kindle e-reader family, Amazon continues to face strong competition with annual offerings from Apple, Samsung, and
others all vying for the same market space. However, Amazon’s strength lies not
in hardware sales, but in its ability to provide all of the content consumers
could want to fill their devices.

Report Contents:

• Device History
• Vendor
• Device Comparison
• Sales and Market share
• The Future
• Summary
• Web Links

Device History

[return to top of this report]

Amazon entered the mobile device market on November 19, 2007, with the
release of the original Kindle e-reader. The following
is a list of all devices in the Kindle family in chronological order.

Figure 1. The Original Amazon Kindle

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – November 19, 2007
• Launch Price – $399
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 4 levels of grayscale
  • 250MB of internal memory
  • SD card slot
    • To this day the first-generation Kindle is the only device in
      Amazon’s e-ink e-reader line to include expandable memory.
• Description and Reception – The original Kindle sold
  out within six hours of going on sale and remained out of stock for the
  better part of five months.¹
  Despite its early success, that very lack of availability combined with the
  relative newness of the technology and a price that would be considered
  absurd today resulted in relatively modest sales. Although the original
  Kindle was not a great financial success, it did provide Amazon with proof
  that there was indeed a burgeoning market for e-readers, which had been a
  niche device category up to this point. This confidence allowed
  Amazon to go forward with subsequent generations and essentially gave birth
  to the modern e-reader market.

Figure 2. The Amazon Kindle 2

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – February 23, 2009
• Launch Price – $359 (reduced to $299 on October 7, 2009)
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale
  • 2GB of internal memory
  • Native PDF support
  • GSM connectivity to the Kindle store initially via Sprint in the US,
    and later via AT&T in the US and 100 countries around the world

• Description and Reception – Amazon actually released two
  versions of the Kindle 2: An original US version and an International version
  which later replaced the domestic edition. Although the primary hardware change
  was in the cellular radio (as noted above), the device also came pre-loaded with
  a firmware update released by Amazon which improved the e-reader’s battery life
  by 85%, according to the company, and added native PDF support. This
  upgrade – along with free international cellular connectivity and subsequent
  price drops to $279, $259, and eventually $189 – made the Kindle 2 a much more
  financially successful product than its predecessor. The device was largely
  praised for its connectivity, capacity, and ease of use, although many panned
  Amazon for eliminating the expandable storage via SD card found on the original
  Kindle.

Figures 3 and 4. Kindle DX Size Comparison and Kindle DX Graphite

Source: Wikimedia Commons and
Amazon

Kindle DX

• Launch Date – June 10, 2009
• Launch Price – $489
• Features
  • 9.7-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale
  • 4GB of internal memory
  • Native PDF support
  • GSM connectivity in 100 countries around the world
  • Built-in accelerometer to re-orient text in portrait or landscape

• Description and Reception – The Kindle DX and its
  successor, the Kindle DX Graphite, lay somewhat outside of the normal Kindle
  generations. When it was released, many balked at the high price. Indeed the
  Kindle DX was – and still is – the most expensive e-ink Kindle ever.
  However, for that premium, users received a 9.7-inch screen, significantly
  larger than the company’s flagship line. The idea behind the larger screen was
  that the Kindle DX would be better suited to display text that tends to come
  in physically larger formats, such as magazines, newspapers, and graphic novels.
  However, the relatively poor resolution of the e-ink display coupled with the
  lack of a compelling selection of such titles in the Kindle Store at the time
  left most wondering why anyone would pay that much more for 3.7-inches of
  additional screen.

Kindle DX Graphite

• Launch Date – July 1, 2010
• Launch Price – $379

• Features
  • 9.7-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale and 50% better
    contrast ratio than the original Kindle DX

  • 4GB of internal memory
  • Native PDF support
  • GSM connectivity in 100 countries around the world
  • Built-in accelerometer to re-orient text in portrait or landscape
• Description and Reception – The Kindle DX Graphite was made
  to be an upgrade to the Kindle DX line which brought its capabilities in line
  with third generation 6-inch Kindle, which would be released later in the same
  month. Aside from the improved screen contrast and an upgrade to the CPU used in
  the Kindle 3, the DX Graphite showed relatively little change from its
  predecessor. Although the price drop to $379 did attract some new users looking
  for a "luxury device," the DX never received the same level of appreciation or
  success as the primary 6-inch Kindle line. A final price cut to $299 seemed like
  the death knell for the Kindle DX line. However, the device is now once
  again being stocked by Amazon.

  Despite all of its shortcomings, and the fact that it has disappeared from
  Amazon’s shelves on several occasions, the Kindle DX Graphite remains
  available today on Amazon at a steeply reduced $239.

Figure
5. Amazon Kindle Keyboard

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – July 28, 2010
• Launch Price – $139 (Wi-Fi) and $189 (Wi-Fi/3G)
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale and 50% better
    contrast ratio than the original Kindle
  • Text to speech capability
  • MP3 player functionality
  • 4GB of internal memory (approximately 3GB available for user content)
  • Built-in Web browser (limited to 50MB per month over 3G)
  • Native PDF support
  • GSM connectivity in 100 countries around the world
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in
    any text they are currently reading and syncs it between any supported
    Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – The lifetime of the Kindle
  Keyboard represents the true turning point for the Kindle line in its road to
  becoming the industry powerhouse it is today. The Kindle Keyboard was a hit from
  the start, launching as the fastest selling Kindle in history. This success was
  further expanded by the first international launches of Kindle stores beginning
  with a new Kindle store the UK. This is also the generation during which Amazon
  announced that its e-books had officially started outselling its physical books. The revelation not only gave a huge boost to Amazon’s bottom
  line but seemed to bring the realization home for most of the world that
  e-readers and e-books were here to stay. To build upon this success, Amazon also
  introduced its "With Special Offers" editions beginning with this generation.
  With this pricing model in place, users could initially purchase the Kindle Wi-Fi/3G
  for the same price as the Wi-Fi only version if they would accept ads appearing
  on their screen when the Kindle was idle. Although some were wary of their
  devices becoming in-home billboards, many jumped at the chance, further
  enhancing the success of the unit. 

Figure 6. Amazon Kindle Touch

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 28, 2011
• Launch Price – Wi-Fi only: With Special Offers $99 or without Special Offers
  $139; Wi-F-/3G: $149 with Special Offers $149 or
  without Special Offers $199
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 16 levels of grayscale and 50% better
    contrast ratio than the original Kindle
  • Infrared-based touchscreen controls
  • Text to speech capability
  • 4GB of internal memory
  • Built-in Web browser (limited to 50MB per month over 3G)
  • Native PDF support
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any
    text they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle
    device or app
• Description and Reception – The fourth gen Kindle was
  originally named the Kindle Touch, but later became simply "Kindle." This
  generation was Amazon’s bid to make the device truly ubiquitous by lowering its
  price, adding on-screen controls, and reducing its dimensions to just 6.5-inches x
  4.5-inches x 0.34-inch. Although the reduced pricing came at the cost of free 3G
  connectivity, the prevalence of Wi-Fi hotspots and at-home wireless Internet by
  this point made that of little concern to many customers. However, this was also
  the time when Amazon’s current primary competitor in the pure e-reader market,
  Barnes & Noble, began hitting its stride with the Nook line. Although many
  reviewers still praised the Kindle Touch for its simplicity and compact form,
  the unit did not always stand up well to the Nook Simple Touch, a very similar
  device that provided the expandable storage via SD card that the Kindle line
  had long ago lost, as well as offering free 3G connectivity for $20 less than
  the Wi-Fi only, ad-free Kindle Touch. The resulting competition produced a price
  war with both sides instituting price drops. This back-and-forth between the
  companies still flares up with every
  subsequent release from either of them.

Figure 7. Amazon Kindle Fire

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 28, 2011
• Launch Price – $199
• Features
  • 7-inch IPS touchscreen display
  • Heavily customized Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system
• MP3 player functionality
• 8GB of internal memory
• Amazon’s Silk Web Browser – a server assisted Web browsing application
  that loads pages faster by rendering the user’s Web pages on an Amazon
  server prior to displaying them
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any
  text they are currently reading, music they are listening to, or video they
  are watching and syncs it between any supported Kindle device
• Description and Reception – The Kindle Fire represented
  many firsts for Amazon: The company’s first Kindle without an e-ink screen, its
  first foray into the tablet market, and its first Android-based device. However,
  and more importantly, it represented a fundamental shift of the Kindle platform
  into a comprehensive media consumption device. Amazon was making a statement
  that it would no longer limit itself to e-books but would also become a
  powerhouse in streaming video, music, and Web accessibility – all things that had
  been primarily the domain of Apple’s iPad in the tablet market.
  Despite this stab at Apple’s home turf, it was clear Amazon was not trying to
  compete on a hardware basis, at least not yet. The Kindle Fire launched with a
  smaller screen more reminiscent to an e-reader for consumers at the time, it had
  a lower-powered processor, it did not feature a 3G option, and it lacked a
  camera and microphone. Despite these shortcomings, the Kindle Fire quickly
  became the best selling product of all time on Amazon, and it, or its successors,
  have remained in that slot ever since. Interestingly, most pundits believe the
  Fire’s runaway success is from the fact that it was priced so low that, as a
  result, sales of the unit itself made
  Amazon little or no profit. In fact, the main purpose for pricing the device so
  low was to sell as many units as possible, thus introducing more and more
  customers to the Amazon media ecosystem. Thanks to this philosophy, whatever
  profit Amazon lost by not giving the Kindle Fire a higher price point was more
  than made up for by the subsequent purchase of MP3s, movies, TV episodes, and
  apps from Amazon’s own Kindle App Store. If anything could be said to have been
  a weakness in the Kindle Fire launch it would have to be privacy concerns that
  were initially raised over the passage of user data through Amazon servers
  thanks to the Silk Web browser. However, a subsequent explanation and
  cooperation with the relevant regulatory authorities quickly allayed these fears
  and showed little or no effect on sales numbers.

Figure 8. Amazon Kindle Touch (5th Generation)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 6, 2012
• Launch Price – $69 With Special Offers and $89 without Special
  Offers
• Features
  • 6-inch IPS e-ink display with improved contrast over the 4th
    generation

  • Infrared-based touchscreen controls

  • 2GB of internal memory
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it between
    any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – The fifth generation Kindle is
  the most iterative of any of Amazon’s Kindle releases. The unit is nearly a
  clone of the fourth generation Kindle Touch, a similarity that extends to its
  internal workings as well. The new version did offer a few minor improvements, however,
  including fonts that were specifically tuned for clarity on its display,
  improved contrast, and 15 percent faster page loads, according to Amazon. Amazon always
  intended the device to be its budget solution and priced it accordingly. Thanks
  to the rock-bottom price point, the fifth generation Kindle is still doing very
  well but is largely being usurped in the public mindshare by the Kindle
  Paperwhite, which was released later in the same year as the company’s new
  flagship e-ink offering.

Figure 9. Amazon Kindle Fire HD

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 6, 2012
• Launch Price – $199 for 16GB of internal storage with Special
  Offers or $249 for 32GB of internal storage with Special Offers | $214 for
  16GB of storage without Special Offers or $264 for 32GB of storage without
  Special Offers
• Features
  • 7-inch 1280×800 HD touchscreen display
  • Dolby Dual Audio stereo speakers
  • 1.2Ghz dual core CPU
  • PowerVR 3D graphics processor
  • Front-facing camera with Skype functionality
  • Amazon’s Silk Web Browser – a server assisted Web
    browsing application that loads pages faster by rendering the user’s
    Web pages on an Amazon server prior to displaying them
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading, music they are
    listening to, or video they are watching and syncs it between any
    supported Kindle device
• Description and Reception – Although Amazon continued to sell a
  device simply called the Kindle Fire, the true successor to the company’s
  original tablet offering was the Kindle Fire HD. The 7-inch slate exceeded its
  predecessor in essentially all areas but retained the same price point, although
  only with Special Offers. The Kindle Fire HD saw almost immediate success. In
  fact, some even considered it a worthy competitor to Apple’s iPad and
  superior to the iPad mini. It’s not hard to see why such a
  comparison would have been made with the device’s greatly enhanced CPU, HD display,
  video chat-capable camera, and enhanced sound. Although it may not have had the versatility or massive app collection that the iPad and iPad Mini
  boasted, it was backed by the Amazon media ecosystem, a platform that offers such extras as
  free streaming movies for Amazon Prime customers (a $79/year subscription that
  includes many other benefits), access to the Kindle Lending Library (a
  collection of current and best-selling titles that can be borrowed for a
  limited time at no cost), and $0.99 no DRM MP3s. As usual, the media catalogue
  is where this Kindle device shined, and where it needed to for Amazon to turn a
  profit. Estimates for production costs on the Kindle FIre HD placed them at or
  above the selling price, meaning most or all of the profit derived from these
  units was generated by media and app sales. Unfortunately for Amazon, the Fire
  series not only faced the iPad and Nook tablets as competitors at this point but
  also began going up against Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, a comparably priced, Android-based
  unit that is capable of nearly everything the Kindle Fire HD can do while also
  gaining access to Google Play, a much more fully stocked app store than
  Amazon’s.

Figure 10. Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – November 20, 2012
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi Only: 16GB with Special Offers $299, 32GB with Special Offers
    $369, 16GB without Special Offers $314, 32GB without Special Offers $384
  • Wi-FI/LTE: 32GB with Special Offers $499, 64GB with Special Offers
    $599, 32GB without Special Offers $514, 64GB without Special Offers $514
• Features
  • 8.9-inch 1920×1200 HD touchscreen display
  • Dolby Dual Audio stereo speakers
  • 1.5Ghz dual core CPU
  • PowerVR 3D graphics processor
  • Front-facing camera with Skype functionality
  • Amazon’s Silk Web Browser – a server assisted Web
    browsing application that loads pages faster by rendering the user’s
    Web pages on an Amazon server prior to displaying them
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading, music they are
    listening to, or video they are watching and syncs it between any
    supported Kindle device
• Description and Reception – While largely similar to the 7-inch model
  of the Kindle Fire HD, the 8.9-inch version featured just enough extra under the
  hood to make it a true competitor for Apple’s iPad. The 1920×1200 display may
  not have been quite up to "Retina" quality like those found on the iPad, but the
  pixels per inch (PPI) came very close to matching the contemporary generation of
  Apple’s tablet thanks to the device’s slightly smaller screen. The 8.9-inch
  version also had something the 7-inch variety lacked: Optional LTE connectivity,
  yet another feature being touted on Apple’s iPad. Last but not least, the dual
  core CPU and embedded 3D graphic processor also made the tablet capable of
  handing much more complex games and apps. Putting this all together, and noting
  the $500 base price point, it becomes obvious that Amazon was very much
  targeting Apple’s tablet with this release. Consumer reaction was an early
  concern for Amazon due to the higher price point than previous generations.
  However, that concern was largely unfounded. While Amazon was no more willing to
  release sales information that it had ever been, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch
  sold even better than its predecessors, at least the Wi-Fi only version.
  Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the $500+ LTE version of the this
  Kindle was simply too pricey for most consumers. At that price level, consumers
  could get an iPad, which, despite Amazon’s efforts, was still the most desirable
  tablet at this point.

Figure 11. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 1, 2012
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: With Special Offers $119, without Special Offers
    $139 
  • Wi-FI/3G: With Special Offers $179, without Special Offers $199
• Features
  • 6-inch 758×1024 e-ink display with 212 PPI with 25% higher contrast
    than any e-ink Kindle released
  • Projected battery life of 8 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Amazon’s "Time to Read" feature, which tells users how close they
    are to finishing a chapter
  • A built-in, front-lit LED lighting system for reading in the dark
  • 2GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
    between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – The first Kindle Paperwhite was Amazon’s newest flagship e-ink
  offering at the time and was designed to present the image of
  having reached the pinnacle of e-reader design. The device’s controls were handled by the touchscreen with only a power button present on the
  hardware. This clean and simple layout enhanced the screen’s contrast,
  which, as the name would suggest, provided a nearly pure white background for
  text and images. Initial adoption of this Kindle was voracious with shipping delays at
  launch of 5 to 7 weeks, a backlog almost
  unheard of since the original Kindle. It should be noted that the Paperwhite did take a step back in one area:
  It
  dropped from 4GB of storage to 2GB of storage, although this
  is still more than enough for most readers. In any case, consumers seemed more than willing to overlook
  any shortcomings for the improved display and lighting system, even if Barnes &
  Noble was the first to offer built-in lighting with their Nook Simpletouch Glowlight. As usual,
  the two devices were both priced identically at $119, although Barnes & Noble
  could not claim the same level of resolution as the Paperwhite.

Figure 12. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
(2013)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 30, 2013
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: With Special Offers $119, without Special Offers
    $139 
  • Wi-FI/3G: With Special Offers $179, without Special Offers $199
• Features
  • 6-inch 758×1024 e-ink display with 212 PPI with even higher contrast
    than the original Kindle Paperwhite
  • Projected battery life of 8 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • 25% faster page turns
  • A built-in, front-lit LED lighting system for reading in the dark
  • 2GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – The 2013 edition of the Kindle Paperwhite
  is very much an iterative update. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing
  as Amazon had very little it could improve upon from the original Paperwhite.
  The company did managed to make some small improvements in this edition.
  Although none of them would be enough to cause an original Paperwhite owner to
  want to upgrade, new features such as an even higher contrast, faster page
  turns, and access to new software features like Amazon’s Page Flip provide an
  extra bit of attractiveness to those on the fence about purchasing a dedicated
  reading device with all of the tablets on the marketplace. Although Amazon has
  once again failed to provide any hard sales figures on the model, it was still
  experiencing a shipping delay of up to 7 days nearly one month after its
  release. While this may not match the backlog of orders seen on the original
  Paperwhite, it may simply be that Amazon has worked out the supply issues which
  constrained this edition’s predecessor. What can be confirmed about the most
  recent e-ink device from Amazon is that it has once again won the heart of
  reviewers. Although most noted its lack of any showpiece updates when compared
  to the original Paperwhite, those same critics also praised Amazon’s continued
  ability to offer the single best option for an e-reader in any given product
  generation.

Figure 13.
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 18, 2013 (Wi-Fi Only), November 7, 2013 (Wi-Fi+LTE)
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi
    • With Special Offers: 16GB $229; 32GB $269; 64GB $309
    • Without Special Offers: 16GB $244; 32GB $284; 64GB $324
  • Wi-FI/LTE
    • With Special Offers: 16GB $329; 32GB $369; 64GB $409
    • Without Special Offers: 16GB $344; 32GB $384; 64GB $424

• Features
  • 7-inch 1920×1200 LCD Display with a pixel density of 323 PPI
  • Projected 11 hour battery life, 17 hours for reading only
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 4G LTE cellular data from either AT&T or Verizon
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Mayday Button
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • 2GB or RAM
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app

• Description and Reception – The two main showpieces of the
  Kindle Fire HDX compared to the most recent version of the original Kindle
  Fire are its higher resolution screen and Mayday button. The screen, which has
  been pushed past "True HD" resolution, provides users with 323 PPI – well into what Apple has considered "retina" quality in its own
  models. The new display is joined by an improved processor, enhanced RAM,
  Bluetooth 4.0 functionality, and the option to choose either AT&T or Verizon’s
  4G LTE network on the cellular data model. Despite all the hardware updates,
  Amazon’s most talked about upgrade in this model is actually a software-based one:
  The Mayday button. On a device that is as oriented to the lay consumer as the
  Kindle line is, the most important aspect of pleasing consumers is making sure
  their device is always working for them. To this end, the Mayday button is
  capable of instantly connecting any Kindle Fire HDX user with a live Amazon
  employee who can take control of their device in order to correct any issues
  or explain how to operate a certain function. The function even includes a
  live image of the tech working on the user’s Kindle in order to provide the
  user with a more comprehensive communication experience. Although the Kindle
  Fire HDX’s Wi-Fi only version is still very early in its lifecycle, it seems to be
  doing as well or better than any of its predecessors. Its 4G LTE model has not
  yet reached consumers, but is likely to do better than its previous
  counterparts due to a much smaller price gap between it and the Wi-Fi only model
  of its contemporary generation.

Figure 14.
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – November 7, 2013 (Wi-Fi Only), December 10, 2013 (Wi-Fi+LTE)
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi
    • With Special Offers: 16GB $379; 32GB $429; 64GB $479
    • Without Special Offers: 16GB $394; 32GB $444; 64GB $494
  • Wi-FI/LTE
    • With Special Offers: 16GB $479; 32GB $529; 64GB $579
    • Without Special Offers: 16GB $494; 32GB $544; 64GB $594

• Features
  • 8.9-inch 2560×1600 LCD Display with a pixel density of 339 PPI
  • Projected 12 hour battery life, 18 hours for reading only
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 4G LTE cellular data from either AT&T or Verizon
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Mayday Button
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • 2GB or RAM
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app

• Description and Reception – Aside from the screen size and a larger
  battery, the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch has essentially the same internal
  components as its smaller counterpart. One feature that it does add is an 8MP
  rear-facing camera. Although the past several Kindle Fire generations have all
  had front-facing cameras for video chatting, this is the first model to feature
  a rear camera for taking photos. This version of the latest generation also
  includes the aforementioned Mayday button, allowing users to receive live tech
  support for as long as they own their device. Although the higher-end versions
  of the device do stray into iPad territory, pricing-wise, the lower-end, more
  commonly chosen models still provide a seemingly excellent value for their
  sub-$400 price point.

Figure 15. Amazon Fire Phone

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – July 25, 2014
• Launch Price –
  • AT&T Version – $199 with a new, two-year agreement
  • Unlocked GSM version – $650

• Features
• 4.7-inch 1280×720 display with a pixel density of 315 PPI
• Wi-Fi and 4G LTE from AT&T or another compatible carrier
• Spatially aware camera array for 3D graphics and interactions
• Mayday Button
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 13MP rear-facing camera
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Access to all Android-based apps and tools on the Amazon App Store

• Description and Reception – Like the Kindle Fire tablet line,
  the Fire Phone is based on a heavily skinned version of the Android mobile
  operating system. This allows the device to use any application designed for
  Android. However, the actual selection of apps is limited to those currently
  available on Amazon’s own App Store. Unfortunately, this limitation is only
  one of the many drawbacks that made the Fire Phone a commercial
  failure. Some estimates claim Amazon sold less than one thousand of the
  devices, in total. The smartphone’s showpiece, an array of 3D sensing cameras,
  never seemed to do much besides power a few first party apps and tech
  demos. On top of this, the unit gained an early reputation for being
  little more than a way for Amazon to get owners to spend more money on its
  products and services. Although this could be technically said of all Kindle
  tablets, it became particularly apparent thanks to the Fire Phone’s heavily
  ingrained tendency to direct users to Amazon’s storefronts to purchase any
  product or media they used the device to identify. The poor initial reaction led
  to a drastic price drop before the phone was even six months old, with the
  on-contract cost falling to $0.99 and the unlocked version being reduced to
  $450. Amazon, of course, remained positive on the outlook of the Fire Phone but
  has yet to announce any plans for a follow up at the time of writing.

Figure 16. Amazon Kindle Fire
HD 6 and 7 

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 2, 2014
• Launch Price –
  • Kindle Fire 6
    • With Special Offers: 8GB $99; 16GB $119
    • Without Special Offers: 8GB $114; 16GB $134
  • Kindle Fire 7
    • With Special Offers: 8GB $139; 16GB $159
    • Without Special Offers: 8GB $154; 16GB $174

• Features
  • Kindle Fire 6
    • 6-inch 1280×800 display
    • Projected 8.5 hour battery life
    • Built-in Wi-Fi
    • Front-facing video chat camera with rear-facing 2MP camera
    • Bluetooth 4.0
    • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
      they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Kindle Fire 7
    • 7-inch 1280×800 display
    • Projected 8.5 hour battery life
    • Built-in Wifi
    • Front-facing video chat camera with rear-facing 2MP camera 
    • Bluetooth 4.0
    • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
      they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
    • Dolby stereo speakers
• Description and Reception – Rather than completely refresh
  its tablet offerings in late 2014, Amazon chose to introduce a pair of new
  budget-friendly devices instead. The Kindle Fire 6 and 7 were positioned as
  nearly identical devices with the only true difference being their screen size
  and the addition of stereo speakers on the larger of the pair. Although launched
  at a very attractive price, Amazon’s reach for a sub-$100 price point came at
  the cost of an HD screen, a considerable drop in battery life, and the loss of
  some features commonly found on the HDX line including Amazon’s Mayday button
  support. As usual, Amazon has remained tight-lipped about the sales of the
  budget-friendly Kindle line. However, many in the press have lauded its
  usability as an inexpensive entertainment device, particularly for young users.
  Amazon apparently had similar ideas for the unit, launching a "Kids Edition"
  variant of both sizes. The Kids Edition features the exact same internal
  components as the standard edition, adding a "kid-proof" case and enhanced
  support for parental controls via Amazon’s FreeTime service.

Figure 17. Amazon Kindle Voyage

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 21, 2014
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: With Special Offers $199, without Special Offers
    $219 
  • Wi-FI/3G: With Special Offers $269, without Special Offers $289

• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of 6 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Haptic feedback when turning pages
  • Revamped front light for more comfortable reading
  • 4GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Amazon’s highest-resolution e-reader (as
  of 2014) is also among its most expensive. Although the company has often been
  rumored to be moving away from the e-reader market, it has continued to squash
  those beliefs with almost yearly releases. The Kindle Voyage is designed to be
  decidedly high-end, with its crisper display, larger storage capacity, and sleek
  design. Upon its release, many in the press wondered whether anyone would be
  interested in a single-use device like an e-reader for a price point that could
  buy most high-end 7-inch tablets. However, the unit was almost universally
  lauded for its readability and functionality.

Figure 18. Kindle Paperwhite
(2015)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – June 29, 2015
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: With Special Offers $119, without Special Offers
    $139 
  • Wi-FI/3G: With Special Offers $189, without Special Offers $209

• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of 6 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Revamped front light for more comfortable reading
  • 4GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app

• Description and Reception – The 2015 update to the Kindle
  Paperwhite family was designed to bring the device’s features more in line
  with those found on the company’s then-flagship Kindle Voyage by featuring an
  updated 300 PPI e-ink display and other technical improvements. Although the
  improvements significantly closed the gap with the prior year’s Voyage, the
  device still lacks some of the flagship model’s more premium features, such as haptic feedback during page turns, and
  it has a slight downgrade in certain technical specifications that could affect
  performance. That said, the Paperwhite line continues to be the sweet spot for
  most serious readers looking for a Kindle device, thanks to its
  middle-of-the-road price point, built-in reading light, and high-contrast
  display.

Figure 19. Kindle Fire HD
8-inch and 10-inch (2015)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 30, 2015
• Launch Price –
  • Kindle Fire HD 8
    • With Special Offers: 8GB $149; 16GB $169
    • Without Special Offers: 8GB $164; 16GB $184
  • Kindle Fire HD 10
    • With Special Offers: 8GB $229; 16GB $259
    • Without Special Offers: 8GB $244; 16GB $274

• Features
  • Kindle Fire HD 8
    • 8-inch 1280×800 display
    • Projected 8.5 hour battery life
    • Built-in Wi-Fi
    • Front-facing video chat camera with rear-facing 5MP camera
    • Bluetooth 4.0
    • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
      they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Kindle Fire HD 10
    • 10-inch 1280×800 display
    • Projected 8.5 hour battery life
    • Built-in Wifi
    • Front-facing video chat camera with rear-facing 5MP camera 
    • Bluetooth 4.0
    • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
      they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
    • Dolby stereo speakers
• Description and Reception – Despite the bump in screen size
  over the Kindle Fire 6-inch and 7-inch, this pair of updated tablets shares
  many internal components and display capabilities with its predecessors. The
  result is essentially a budget-minded tablet for those looking to be thrifty,
  but for whom the even cheaper Kindle Fire (2015) simply sports too small a
  display. More than ever, the Kindle Fire line was positioned during this
  generation as a media consumption tablet. Relatively modest internal
  components and mediocre scene resolution aside, the Fire HD 8-inch and 10-inch
  could get the job of displaying video from a variety of streaming sources,
  Amazon’s included, without breaking the bank. Due to this, the tablets proved to
  be popular choices, although their specific market share may have been somewhat
  cannibalized by the fact that they launched at the same time as the $50 Kindle
  Fire, covered below.

Figure 20. Kindle Fire
(2015)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 30, 2015
• Launch Price –
  • With Special Offers: $49.99; without Special Offers: $64.99

• Features
• 7-inch 1024×600 display with a pixel density of 171 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 8GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Front-facing VGA camera with 2MP rear camera
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – For years prior to the launch of
  the 2015 edition of the Kindle, Amazon had been rumored to be working on a $50
  tablet. However, during those years, many in the press believed that the price
  point was an impossible one to reach, with the final product having to either
  cost significantly more than $50 or be so crippled by cheap components that
  no one would want to use it. Amazon proved the doubters wrong
  in September 2015 when the $50 Kindle Fire went on sale. Sporting a 7-inch screen at a resolution that is unlikely to impress anyone, the device
  simply will not compete with its $200+ or even $100+ brethren. But it
  does have one feature that none of those more able competitors does: It’s cheap. Amazon
  is very well aware of the fact that the bargain basement price is the
  primary draw of this particular tablet, even having gone so far as to sell
  them in five-packs. While it remains unknown how many of these multi-packs
  Amazon actually sold, the fact that a buyer could literally get five tablets for less than
  the cost of a single iPad Mini shows just how
  budget-friendly the model is. While applying the term "disposable"
  to the Kindle Fire may be stretching the truth a bit, the $50 price point does
  come very close to being the sort of electronic device that a user could treat
  roughly, toss around, give to the kids, and not be overly concerned when their
  lack of care results in damage or loss of the device. For this reason,
  demand for the 2015 Kindle Fire was high at launch, with the device remaining
  sold out or backordered for several months, and remained high through the
  unit’s first holiday season and beyond.

Figure 21. Kindle Oasis

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – April 27, 2016
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: With Special Offers $290, without Special Offers
    $310 
  • Wi-FI/3G: With Special Offers $360, without Special Offers $380

• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of 8 weeks or longer with battery charging
    cover accessory
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Revamped front light for more comfortable reading
  • 4GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app

• Description and Reception – The Kindle Oasis launched as
  Amazon’s most expensive e-reader in many years, with the price point
  approaching, if not exceeding that of a relatively high-end tablet. However,
  Amazon specifically marketed the device as being targeted at the most avid of
  readers, and, to that end, included a slate of comforts that would appeal
  particularly to that niche market. These included a new, asymmetrical case which
  was designed to make the device easier to hold, a reduced weight of less than 5
  ounces, and a more even lighting scheme for the high-resolution e-ink display.
  It is the thinness and lightness in particular that make the device stand out
  from its predecessor, the Kindle Voyage. However, the Oasis also includes, for
  the first time, a cover which also serves as a second battery. This packed-in
  accessory launched in three colors, and offered both protection and extended run
  time to the device. All this said, the Oasis was still widely considered to be a
  niche device, at best, with only the most voracious readers truly seeing any
  benefit in using it instead of the much, much more budget-friendly models of
  Kindle e-readers.

Figure 22. Kindle Fire HD 8" (2016)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – September 21, 2016
• Launch Price –
  • 32 GB: With Special Offers: $89.99; without Special Offers: $104.99
  • 64 GB: With Special Offers: $119.99; without Special Offers:
    $134.99

• Features
• 8-inch 1280×800 display with a pixel density of 189 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Front-facing VGA camera with 2MP rear camera
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Following the success of
  the $50 price point for the regular Kindle Fire, Amazon chose to take its
  higher-end Fire HD in a similar direction with the nearly as budget-minded Fire
  HD 8" in 2016. Although the device cannot compete with the likes of Apple’s iPad,
  or Samsung’s higher end Note or Tab models, its sub-$100 price point offers an
  extremely capable device with many of the same features that were previously
  limited to Fire models that cost $300 or more. If any doubt remained that Amazon
  saw its Fire line primarily as a media consumption device, the inclusion of
  Dolby Atmos support for the dual stereo speakers in the Kindle Fire HD 8" should
  put that to rest. The model was generally well received by the public and press
  alike, with many remarking on the build quality and performance being
  surprisingly impressive for such a low-priced device. Making the unit even more
  of a bargain was the inclusion of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant at launch.
  This AI interface offered essentially the same functionality as the Alexa
  version found on Amazon’s Echo and Dot home speaker lines, providing users with
  access to the usual selection of weather info, sports scores, and home
  automation, as well as a quick way to access movies, TV, and music from their
  personal library.

Figure 23. Amazon Kindle Fire 7 (2017)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – June 7, 2017
• Launch Price –
  • With Special Offers: $49.99
  • Without Special Offers: $64.99
• Features
• 7-inch 1024×600 display with a pixel density of 171 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 8 or 16 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 4.1
• Front-facing VGA camera with 2MP rear camera
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Amazon’s $50 price point
  for tablets remained strong going forward, resulting in the company
  releasing this somewhat iterative follow-up. While the newer version
  featured nearly identical RAM, GPUs, and CPUs, it did provide a few minor
  improvements over its predecessor. These included an update to the Bluetooth
  protocol supported by the device, providing better audio quality and
  stability, as well as an increase of the maximum supported MicroSD card
  size, raising it from 128GB to 256GB. Other than that, the device remained
  largely unchanged. However, the success of the bargain-basement pricing
  continued through this generation, thanks simply to the lack of any
  compelling alternative at a similar price point.

Figure 24. Amazon Kindle (2017)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – June 22, 2017
• Launch Price –
  • With Special Offers $80, without Special Offers $100
• Features
  • 6-inch "glare free" e-ink display with 167 PPI
  • Projected battery life of "weeks"
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Bluetooth support
  • 4GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app

• Description and Reception – The latest of Amazon’s basic
  Kindle e-readers, called by some the Kindle 8, features a somewhat more rounded
  design than its predecessor, more closely resembling the minimal aesthetic of
  the Kindle Paperwhite line. While its feature set might not seem like anything
  special, it is the first Kindle e-reader device from Amazon to support
  Bluetooth. This feature is used to power the device’s VoiceView text-to-speech
  software, allowing users to employ cordless headphones or speakers to output the
  sound of their e-books being read to them.

Figure 25. Amazon Kindle Oasis (2nd Generation)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 31, 2017
• Launch Price –
  • Wi-Fi: 8GB $249.99 ; 32GB $279.99 (+$20 to remove special offers)
  • Wi-FI/3G: 32GB $349.99
• Features
  • 7-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of 8 weeks or longer with battery charging
    cover accessory
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Available free 3G cellular data
  • Page Flip – a feature that allows readers to browse to a different
    section of the book while never losing their original place
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • 8GB of internal storage
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Built-in access to Audible audio books.

• Description and Reception – The original Kindle Oasis
  launched as Amazon’s most expensive e-reader in many years, and had much to
  prove to consumers and reviewers. Thankfully for the company, there was indeed a
  market out there for users that wanted the most premium e-reader experience
  possible, resulting in a follow-up Kindle Oasis being produced. Although it is
  very similar to its older sibling, the Oasis features a slightly larger 7-inch
  display, as well as a heavier focus on support for audio books via its built-in
  support for Amazon’s Audible and Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless headphones and
  speakers. While the device remains too expensive for most casual readers, the
  more avid consumers of text seem to appreciate the high-end design touches, such
  as an all-aluminum frame, automatic backlight adjustment, and water resistance.

Figure 26. Kindle Fire HD 10

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 11, 2017
• Launch Price –
  • 32GB With Special Offers: $149.99; 32GB without Special Offers: $164.99
  • 64GB With Special Offers: $189.99; 64GB without Special Offers:
    $204.99
• Features
  • 10-inch 1920×1200 display with a pixel density of 224 PPI
  • Wi-Fi 
  • 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • Front-facing VGA camera with 2MP rear camera
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
    between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Amazon’s larger, more
  premium tablet was once again updated in late 2017 with a new version of the
  HD 10. While it closely resembles the previous HD 10, the internal
  components and software underwent some significant changes. On the hardware
  side of things, this included the doubling of both tiers of internal
  storage, an updated processor and GPU, and more. However, the most notable
  change to this generation of the Fire HD 10 was the addition of hands-free
  Alexa support. This means that, at any time, a user can say "Alexa" within
  earshot of the HD 10 and begin interacting with Amazon’s personal digital
  assistant. This turns the Kindle Fire HD 10 into a sort of potable Echo
  Show, capable of providing nearly all of the same functionality as the
  company’s pricier, stationary unit, including video chat. Because of this,
  consumers seemed to take renewed interest in the Kindle Fire HD line, once
  again pushing sales of the device, despite a flagging tablet market.

Figure 27. Kindle Fire HD 8

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 4, 2018
• Launch Price –
  • 16GB $79.99
  • 32GB $109.99
• Features
  • 8-inch 1280×800 display with a pixel density of 189 PPI
  • Wi-Fi 
  • 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • Front-facing 2MP camera with 2MP rear camera
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
    user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
    between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Amazon returned to the 7/8"
  tablet size with its 2018 update for the Fire family. With this generation
  of the device, Amazon officially abandoned its subsidized "special offers"
  pricing. This was also the first generation to ship with Amazon’s "Show Mode
  Charging Dock." This peripheral allows the Kindle Fire HD 8 to, as the name
  would suggest, function nearly identically to the Kindle Show, Amazon’s
  large-screen Echo device. This use is made possible by the fact that the
  Fire HD 8 ships with a full version of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant
  built in. Unlike previous models which required physical interaction to use
  Alexa, the HD 8 recognizes the same always-on wake words as all modern Echo
  units while in the Show Mode charging dock. Although this add-on raises the
  price of the unit by about $40, the combined cost is still less than an Echo
  Show at the time of writing, making it an attractive option for both those
  wanting a smaller media consumption tablet, and those wanting a
  large-screened smart speaker.

Figure 28. Kindle Paperwhite (4th Edition)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – November 7, 2018
• Launch Price –
  • 8GB $129.99
  • 32GB $159.99
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of up to 6 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi with optional 4G LTE
  • Waterproof with an IPX8 rating, allowing for submersion in 2 meters
    of water for up to 1 hour
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Built-in access to Audible audio books.
• Description and Reception – The defining feature of the
  latest update to the Kindle e-reader line is its IPX8 waterproof rating.
  This makes the device much safer to use by the pool, at the beach, or even
  in the bath. Considering how much reading is done at or near bodies of
  water, the decision to add this extra layer of safety was roundly praised
  with the launch of the latest Paperwhite. As usual, Amazon also improved the
  display, providing the same sharpness and contrast previously reserved for
  its pricier Oasis line. That said, some reviewers took issue with the lack
  of physical buttons like those on the Oasis, while others bemoaned the lack
  of a USB-C charging option, a connection protocol which was rapidly growing
  in popularity at the time of release.

Figure 29. Kindle 10

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – March 20, 2019
• Launch Price –
  • With Special Offers $59.99
  • Without Special Offers $79.99
• Features
  • 6-inch e-ink display with 167 PPI
  • Projected battery life of up to 6 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Built-in access to Audible audio books.
• Description and Reception – Marketed as the "All-New
  Kindle," the device was widely known as the Kindle 10 due to its release
  generation. This edition of Amazon’s "basic" Kindle line brought several
  features to the pricing tier that had previously been limited to the
  company’s more premium offerings. Among these added capabilities were the
  first front-lit display in a basic device, enhanced Bluetooth support, and
  improved display contrast. The company also chose to bring back its "With
  Special Offers" subsidy with this generation, once again offering customers
  the option to pay less for their device in exchange for having ads show up
  on their homescreens.

Figure 30. Kindle Fire 7 (2019)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – June 6, 2019
• Launch Price –
  • 16GB: With Special Offers $49.99; Without Special Offers $64.99
  • 32GB: With Special Offers $69.99; Without Special Offers $84.99
• Features
• 7-inch 1024×600 display with a pixel density of 171 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 4.1
• Front-facing 2MP camera
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Amazon’s 2019 update of its $50
  tablet was another iterative follow-up. Like its predecessors, it offered
  minor improvements so some internal components, the most notable of this
  generation being the upgrade from internal storage options of 8GB/16GB to
  16GB/32GB. Other than that, the device remained largely unchanged, including
  its aging display with a quite low resolution (by standards at the time of
  its release) display.

Figure 31. Kindle Oasis (3rd Generation)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – July 24, 2019
• Launch Price –
  • 8GB: With Special Offers $249.99; Without Special Offers $269.99
  • 32GB Wi-Fi Only: With Special Offers $279.99; Without Special offers
    $299.99
  • 32GB with Free Cellular Connectivity: With Special Offers $279.99;
    Without Special Offers $349.99
• Features
  • 7-inch e-ink display with 300 PPI
  • Projected battery life of up to 6 weeks
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the user’s place in any text
    they are currently reading and syncs it between any support Kindle device or app
  • Built-in access to Audible audio books.
• Description and Reception – Amazon’s 2019 version of
  the Kindle Oasis continued the line’s habit of introducing new, premium
  features to the line. The showpiece of this specific model was its new
  lighting system. Not only did it include 25 separate LEDs for even lighting
  distribution, but it also supported the ability to change the color
  temperature of the backlight. Amazon claimed this would make reader more
  comfortable by allowing the user to adjust the screen’s shade to the time of
  day, reducing eye strain and the allegedly negative effects of the blue
  light produced by most LED-based devices.

Figure 32. Kindle Fire HD 10 (2019)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – October 30, 2019
• Launch Price –
  • 32GB: With Special Offers $149.99; Without Special Offers $164.99
  • 64GB: With Special Offers $189.99; Without Special Offers $204.99
• Features
• 10-inch 1920×1080 display with a pixel density of 224 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 5
• Front and rear-facing 2MP cameras
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – Like the 2019 Kindle Fire
  7-inch, the Kindle Fire HD 10-inch has fallen into a very iterative update
  cycle. It mirrored the 7-inch model’s internal storage doubling, giving it
  either 32GB or 64GB of space on which to store movies, songs, and pictures.
  However, this generation also received a significant upgrade to its
  processor, producing speeds, according to Amazon, 30 percent faster than its
  predecessor. Interestingly, it actually lost some of the pixel density seen
  its in direct ancestor due to its display dropping from 1920×1200 to
  1920×1080. The switch was likely designed to better accommodate the tablet’s
  use as a media consumption device, with 1080p resolution content now able to
  be displayed without black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Figure 33. Kindle Fire HD 8 and HD Plus (2020)

Source: Amazon

• Launch Date – June 3, 2020
• Launch Price –
  • Standard
    • 32GB: With Special Offers $59.99; Without Special Offers $74.99
    • 64GB: With Special Offers $89.99; Without Special Offers $104.99
• Plus
  • 32GB: With Special Offers $79.99; Without Special Offers $94.99
  • 64GB: With Special Offers $94.99; Without Special Offers $124.99
• Features
• 8-inch 1280×800 display with a pixel density of 189 PPI
• Wi-Fi 
• 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card slot
• Bluetooth 5
• Front and rear-facing 2MP cameras
• Whispersync connectivity – a feature that keeps the
  user’s place in any text they are currently reading and syncs it
  between any support Kindle device or app
• Description and Reception – The 2020 edition of the
  Kindle Fire HD was a largely iterative update. The showpiece of the new
  version was likely its addition of Qi-based wireless charging, which allowed
  the tablet to be charged via any Qi-compatible charger, or via Amazon's own
  charging dock (sold separately). This dock also added a quick way to dock
  the unit when it was being used as a smart display, which had been supported
  for several generations at this point. Unlike some previous generations,
  Amazon differentiated the 2020 HD 8's standard and Plus models with a single
  hardware modification: 1GB of extra RAM in the Plus models. All other
  aspects of both devices were completely identical.

Device Comparison

[return to top of this report]

The following section profiles the
features of the Kindle family of devices in comparison with the most dominant
product lines of Amazon’s closest competitors. Since it would be unfair to compare a
device like the Kindle Oasis to a full-fledged tablet, this section is
broken into two categories: E-readers and tablets. Although factors may differ
significantly between mobile devices, the compared lines were chosen based on
an amalgam of price, screen size and type, operating system, and their ideal
usage. Each section will address a specific aspect of tablets or e-readers.

E-Readers

While virtually every tablet is capable of serving as an e-reader, they are not designed
solely for that purpose. As stated earlier in this report, the primary
competitor for the Kindle e-ink devices is Barnes & Noble’s Nook line. B&N is
one of the few companies still maintaining a device with an e-ink display
at a comparable, often identical, price point to Amazon’s current offerings.
Other companies such as Marisol, Kobo, Sony, and multiple smaller firms offer
e-ink or LCD e-readers; however, none boast anything even approaching
the type of market share the Kindle and Nook line have, and almost all of these
outlying offerings are considered inferior to Amazon and B&N’s offerings by
reviewers.

Book Stores

Amazon – Amazon’s Kindle Store is accessible
from the Web, from any modern Kindle e-reader, and from any current Kindle
mobile or desktop app. Amazon stocks longform e-book titles in both fiction and
non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels, various periodicals, and Amazon
Shorts, a serial format with each "episode" comprising a very
brief section of a larger story. Titles range through all genres and include
authors from around the world.

Once purchased, an e-book from the Kindle store will
instantly be available for download to any PC, mobile device, or Kindle
e-reader with an active Internet connection. Users receive unlimited storage
space for all of their titles, which remain in the cloud even if they have
been deleted locally from the user’s devices.

Pricing in Amazon’s Kindle store can vary greatly depending
on the type of book purchased, its publisher, popularity, and age. The store
includes everything from free titles, to budget offerings, and full priced titles. Novels currently still in hardback tend to be
priced around $10 to $15, while those that have been released in paperback
usually run closer to $7 to $9. Non-fiction titles can be anywhere from $0.99 to
$12.99, with textbooks going as high as several hundred dollars.

 Any title purchased from the Kindle Store is
compatible with Amazon’s Whispersync technology. Whispersync is capable of
tracking where the user stopped reading, storing user-created notes, and keeping bookmarks synchronized
between devices. This means that a user could begin reading a title on
their home PC, pick up where they left off on their smartphone app on their way to
work, and finish that night on a Kindle e-reader. Whispersync has been one of
the trademarks of Amazon’s Kindle store since its launch.

Kindle owners who are also Amazon Prime members – a $119/year subscription with several other benefits –
and also gain access to the
Kindle Lending Library. At any given time, the
library includes many popular titles and more than 145,000 total books, all of
which can be "borrowed" by users for as long as they like. However, users are
limited to no more than one borrowed title per calendar month and must "return"
their previous title before another can be taken out. The Lending Library also
supports Whispersync, meaning that if a user should choose to borrow a book
again at a later date, all notes, bookmarks, and highlights will be retained.

Finally, Amazon also offers a service dubbed "Kindle Unlimited" which gives
subscribers access to millions of books, thousands of audio books, and many
magazines on an unlimited basis for $9.99 per month.

Barnes & Noble – The Nook Book Store is also
available from the Web, any Nook device, and any of Barnes & Noble’s Nook mobile
apps. The bookseller’s titles include the same wide range as Amazon’s, with a few
exceptions. While Barnes & Noble provides users with access to the catalogs
of several retailers, which Amazon does not, it lacks text books,
which Amazon carries. This is likely a very important distinction for students.

Also like Amazon, Barnes & Noble provides unlimited cloud
storage of a user’s purchased titles, which can be downloaded to any device or
app with an active Internet connection.

As of the time of writing, the Nook Book Store’s prices were relatively
similar to Amazon’s, with specific titles typically mirroring the Kindle maker’s
pricing ranges.

The Nook family does have a competitor to Whispersync that
provides most of the same functionality, although not all components of it
(such as highlights and notes) are supported across the entire range of Nook products.
This, however, changes frequently with firmware updates for Nook
e-readers and software updates for Nook apps.

Barnes & Noble does not have a competitor to the Kindle
Lending Library. However, Nook owners are able to remotely "lend" titles they
have purchased to other Nook device or app owners. While the selection of
possible titles to borrow is actually greater if one includes B&N’s entire
e-book selection, it does require knowing another individual with a Nook device
or app who actively purchased the title from the Nook Book Store.

Screens and Dimensions

In the early days of e-readers screen sizes were all over the map. The current offerings tend to stick very close to a 6/7-inch diagonal screen. This
is the case for nearly all major product lines from Barnes & Noble and
Amazon, including everything from their top-of-the-line offerings to their
budget options. The only outlier to this rule was the Kindle DX, a 9.7-inch
large format e-reader that Amazon has brought back from retirement
intermittently. Although a small portion of the e-reader market
does appreciate the larger screen size for tasks such as reading newspapers and
magazines, the majority still prefer the portability and longer battery
life provided by the now standard screen sizes. 

Another major consideration for e-reader displays is their method of
illumination. Unlike a tablet screen, a typical e-ink display requires an
outside light source in order to be readable. Both Amazon and B&N dealt
with this in the past by creating cases for their e-readers with built-in book
lights. To this day, similar cases remain on sale, as do other peripherals that
are essentially traditional book lights redesigned specifically for an e-reader.
However, for those who expect to be reading in the dark on a regular basis, a
better option would likely be one of the
illuminated models. Several generations of these devices have already
come and gone, but the Kindle Paperwhite/Voyage/Oasis lines and Nook Glowlight line have remained
the primary lighted offerings. All offer integrated
lighting at a modest cost to their battery life, and both provide
user-controlled options for the brightness level and screen contrast to make
reading as comfortable as possible.

Finally, the one remaining aspect of a screen that needs to be considered is
its interactivity. Although it was not always the case, nearly all e-readers
have a touchscreen display built into them. This allows quick taps for page turns, an
additional way of bringing up a menu, and on-screen typing for browsing their respective e-book store. The technology behind these touchscreens
varies from capacitive to infrared-based sensors, but all have reached the point
of being more than accurate and responsive enough for any task an e-reader will
be put to.

Ports and Charging

All models of Kindle and Nook e-readers currently rely on micro USB for their
charging needs. The included accessories vary from model to model. However, all
e-reading devices from both companies come with a USB cable to charge the device
from a PC or USB power source, if not a wall charger.

Battery Life

As with all portable electronic devices, battery life will vary greatly
depending on how heavily the owner uses the device. For their own measurement
purposes, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have settled on a standard metric
of one half hour per day of reading time. With this measurement guiding them,
both companies have claimed a nearly identical six to eight week battery life for their
devices. 

Although reviewers have seen little reason to dispute these figures, it is
worth noting that the companies themselves admit that they are only
attainable under ideal conditions. Even with usage limited to one half hour per
day, lighted displays, cellular data usage, Wi-Fi usage, and
browsing the e-reader’s book store will drain the battery life significantly
quicker. That being said, it is hard to fault any electronic device that needs
to be charged less often than most people need to fill their gas tanks. 

Available Accessories

Both companies offer a very similar selection of cases; wall chargers; USB cables; and carrying cases. Particular
products on offer vary from model to model and are constantly being updated. 

Price

Amazon Kindle – At the time of
writing, the Kindle product line begins at $59 for the basic Kindle with Special
Offers, and runs up to $350 for the top end Kindle Oasis. Each model of Amazon’s
devices comes in several variations, with options such as 4G
connectivity and the option for promotional
"Special Offers" to appear on their devices in exchange for a discount
at the time of purchase. 

Barnes & Noble – The Nook line’s
single current offering, the Nook Glowlight 3, sells for $119.99.

Tablets

Amazon faces a significantly wider range of
competitors in the tablet market than it does in the pure e-reader market.
However, only a portion of these can be considered pure media consumption
devices, which is Amazon’s primary purpose for its tablets. This includes Apple’s
iPad offerings, Generic Android tablets, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook
Tablets manufactured by Samsung. As with e-readers, each of these sections will attempt to illuminate
one aspect of the devices on offer from Amazon and its closest
competitors. 

App and Media Store

While e-readers have only books to consider,
media consumption tablets must also have a source for applications, videos, and
music. Each of these companies have their own media and most maintain an app
store as well. Although third party apps and media services are available on all
of these devices, this section focuses solely on first party offerings. 

Amazon – All tablets in the Kindle line
have access to the Kindle Book Store, Amazon Video, the Amazon App Store
for Android, Amazon’s full catalogue of MP3s, and various streaming video
services from Amazon. The online retailer currently places their selection at
more than 10 million books, over 35 million songs, 30 million movies and TV
episodes, and a selection of apps that includes popular titles such as HBO Go, Netflix, Hulu,
Disney+, Facebook, Skype, and more. 

Amazon has also extended their Whispersync to
other forms of media. This means that any movie purchased
or streamed from the site will retain the spot where the user left off when
switching between devices, just like a Kindle e-book. 

In addition to the selection of videos available
for purchase, Amazon also offers its Amazon Prime Video service. Amazon Prime
members (a $119/ year subscription with several other benefits) receive access to
"thousands" of movies, TV shows, and other programming, at no
additional cost.

It should be noted that, although Amazon’s Kindle
Fire operating system is, in fact, a highly customized version of Google’s
Android, the Fire line does not have access to Google Play. This means that, although
the device may be entirely capable of running apps from Google Play, users will
not be able to download them without making unauthorized alterations to their
device and possibly voiding their warranty. Amazon’s App Store for Android does
have a large and ever-growing selection, but it does not match Google Play in
sheer size.

Android – Unlike the Kindle Fire line,
most Android-based tablets run a nearly stock version of Android. This means
that users have full access to Google Play, the company’s app, e-book, video,
and music store. The store currently offers several million apps; more than five
million books, a significant portion of which are free; "tens of thousands" of
TV shows and movies; and a similar number of songs. 

Apple – Apple was the first
company to launch its own app stores and it shows in the selection. The company
currently boasts more than a million available applications,
almost all of which have been formatted to work natively on each currently
available model of its iPad devices. 

Although Apple is generally considered to rule
the app market, its music, book, and video stores are another matter. The company can
stand toe-to-toe with Google and Amazon on the music front, but its past use of DRM and proprietary formats have caused many to avoid purchasing music from iTunes.
Similarly iTunes’ video selection is not generally considered to be on par with
Amazon’s and does not offer any free streaming component. Finally, the Apple Books
e-book store is usually more expensive for the same title than Amazon’s Kindle
Book store.

Displays

Amazon – At the time of writing, the
numerous models of Kindle Fire tablets could be divided into two size
categories: The smaller 6- and 7-inch models, and the larger 8.9 and 10-inch models. Display
resolutions vary among the various models.

Android – Due to the generalized nature of this entry, it
can include essentially everything from the smallest 6-inch screen sizes up
to unusually large 18 or even 24-inch tablets with widely varying
resolutions.

Apple – Apple’s iPad lines
are divided into its standard size, which includes a display that is just
under 10 inches, its iPad Pro line, which has gone up to 12 inches, and its iPad Mini, which is one of the largest
"small" offerings at 7.9 inches. The company’s options have the
largest variation in resolution, with some of its older models going as low as
1024×768, while its latest offerings have reached as high as 2732×2048.

Local and Cloud Storage

Amazon – Storage sizes among Amazon’s Kindle
Fire line vary from model to model and include 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB
options. Some of these devices include an SD card
slot, allowing the local storage to be expanded at a later date. Amazon offers
every Kindle owner free unlimited cloud storage for all content
purchased from them. The
company also provide 5GB of free space for any other content uploaded by the
user, with additional space available for a fee. 

Android – Most Android tablets fall between the 8GB and
128GB mark for internal storage. However, some outliers can go as low as 2GB or
as high as 256GB. Many models also include MicroSD support, allowing the
internal storage to be expanded. Cloud-based storage options are widely
available from Google as well as third-party sources.

Apple – The iPad line comes in
32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions. It does not offer any form of expandable storage.
Apple shows little difference from the other companies in this section, and also
provides free cloud-based storage for all content purchased from its stores. The
company offers a service called iTunes Match, which searches the user’s library
for music files identical to those the user owns, which are then made available
via the cloud to all of the user’s device. This service incurs an additional
fee, and does not support any other content but music files. 

Ports and Hardware

Amazon – The Kindle Fire line relies on
micro USB for charging as well as data. Several of Amazon’s higher-end
models also include a Micro-HDMI port for
high-definition video output to a television or other external display. All models
feature a 3.5 mm stereo jack for headphones or external speakers, as well as a
front-facing camera for picture taking and video chat, and, in some
cases, a rear-facing camera as well.

Android – Although there is no officially standardized
charging and data port for Android tablets, micro USB is found on the vast
majority of all slates not produced by Apple, with some newer models opting for
the younger USB-C protocol.

Apple – Apple’s standard iPad line includes the company’s proprietary Lightning connector for data, charging,
and video output, as well as a 3.5mm stereo jack for headphones and external
speakers. However, the latest edition of its iPad Pro line has opted instead to
include a USB-C charging and data port. All models also feature both
front-facing and rear-facing cameras.

Browser

Amazon – Kindle Fire tablets use Amazon’s own Silk browser. The app’s defining feature is the server-side
rendering, which is designed to load Web pages significantly faster by rendering
their content on one of Amazon’s servers, rather than on the device
itself.

Android – All Android-based tablets that run anything close
to the stock version of the OS have access to Google’s mobile edition of the
Chrome browser. This option closely mirrors its desktop counterpart, supporting
synced bookmarks and tabs, as well as a limited selection of extensions, such as
ad blockers.

Apple – The iPad line uses the
same version of Mobile Safari across all models. It includes features
such as a multi-tab browser, an article-styled reading mode, and syncing between
iOS devices. 

Accessories

Amazon – Amazon offers a
selection of cases and covers for its Kindle line as well as stands, skins,
screen protectors, styli, video-out cables, and decals. The company has also
launched a new PowerFast Charger, which is designed to
charge a tablet to full capacity in under four hours. 

Android – The number of third-party accessories for generic
Android tablets number in the tens of thousands, and include everything
mentioned in this category, as well as more oddball offerings, such as car
mounts, pillow-shaped cases, and even flotation devices.

Apple – Apple offers multiple versions of its Smart Cover
for the iPad line as well as a selection of data and video out cables made for
the Lightning port.

Price

Amazon – Kindle Fire models begins at
$50, offering the smallest capacity, smallest available
display of the product line, and range up to $2049.99 for the largest capacity
model 32GB of storage, and a 10-inch display.

Android – Android-based tablets run the full gamut of prices
from $25 all the way up to more than $1,000.

Apple – Apple’s lowest priced model is
its legacy iPad mini, which begins at under $250. It’s highest end unit, a 1TB
iPad Pro with 4G connectivity currently sells for over $1,800.

Sales and Market Share

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E-Readers

Although full-fledged tablet and dedicated
e-readers are undeniably very different products, taking one into account
without the other for the purposes of market share would simply be negligent.
Despite the higher cost, shorter battery life, and difficulty when reading in
sunlight, many users still choose a tablet as their primary e-reading platform.
This is easy to understand when one considers the multitude of other
capabilities a tablet offers, while being just as portable as an
e-reader. 

In fact, many industry analysts were ready to sound the death knell of the e-reader category as soon as the
popularity of the iPad became apparent. For a while, e-readers mostly held
their own or showed modest growth as the iPad and other tablets became
prevalent. However, this trend may be changing. Indicative of the
e-reader market becoming more and more niche is the rapid disappearance of
nearly all competing e-reader devices, aside from Barnes & Noble’s. While
none of the offerings from the likes of Sony or Kobo ever found great success,
the companies have lost interest in even pursuing the product
category.

It is unlikely that e-readers as a whole will disappear any time soon, and
least not the Kindle family. There are still serious readers out there
that appreciate the benefits in battery life and viewability provided by an
e-ink display. Until this undoubtedly large group of consumers begins to vanish, there will almost certainly be demand for pure
e-readers for years to come.

Tablets

Pinning down sales and market share statistics of the tablet marketplace is
often very difficult. Not only are many manufacturers cagey with their
sales numbers (Amazon in particular), but the marketplace changes so quickly
that a hot new release could completely alter the landscape before the
previous quarter’s sales have even been tabulated. 

With that in mind, Amazon has fared better than many of its competitors,
although its market share remains well below Apple's and just over half of
Samsung's on IDC's latest charts. What is worrisome for Amazon is the fact
that it is the only company on the latest list to show a year-over-year
decline in tablet sales. This comes at a time when logic would suggest that
users would be lapping up media consumption devices during global lockdowns.
However, while Apple and Samsung are benefitting from the growth in demand,
Amazon has been left behind. The reasons for this are arguable, but the most
obvious seems to be Amazon's generally slower, less enticing release in
recent years, with current-gen Kindle Fire devices either having been out
for several years, or at least appearing identical to units that have been.
Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung continue to release meaningful updates to their
tablet lines.

Figure 34. Tablet Usage By Brand²

Source: IDC

The Future

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As with sales numbers, manufacturers are also notoriously tight-lipped
about their future plans. Information about new releases is usually
obtained only through industry leaks that often come out in the days or,
at most, weeks leading up to an already announced press event. However, this
does not mean that it is impossible to predict what a tablet maker’s next move
might me. The iPad Mini, for example, was essentially a foregone conclusion long
before its original release thanks to Apple obviously wanting a share in the success of
Amazon, Google, and Barnes & Noble’s 7-inch slates. Although this was a rare
"sure thing" in the tablet market, it is still possible to examine a
company’s past history, its current lineup, and the market at large to come up
with what the next trend might be. 

In Amazon’s case, the company has always espoused a content-centric revenue model for its mobile device lines. Jeff Bezos
himself, the founder and CEO of Amazon, admitted in an interview with the BBC
that "it is break-even on the hardware," referring to the original Kindle Fire
and its successors.³ In fact, the company’s original Kindle Fire was
estimated to cost as much as $201.70 to build.⁴ Although Amazon is
unlikely to ever reveal how accurate this figure was, it is obvious that the
company is primarily interested in getting devices into the hands of consumers
in order to
drive the sales of content and is not so interested in sales of the hardware itself.
The Kindle Fire, therefore, was not only released as a competitor to the iPad
and other tablets, but as
a vehicle for the company to expand its sales of all digital content from e-books to movies, TV shows, apps, and music. Some may say the current $50/$100
Kindles are the ultimate expression of this philosophy, providing a bargain
basement entry point for a mobile device user who wishes to purchase
content from Amazon’s stable of media selections.

The bargain-level
pricing of the $50 model provides budget-conscious users with an entry point into Amazon’s media ecosystem,
bringing in customers that the company would have otherwise missed due to
hardware costs. This is a growing trend among all of Amazon’s products,
including its Kindle Fire TV line and its Amazon Echo smart speakers. Although
neither is a mobile device, and therefore
are not covered here, they do provide an in-home access point to the same audio
and video content
that customers may have already purchased on their Kindle Fire tablets. This
means that users can buy movies, TV shows, and music while being confident that
they can view it on their big-screen TVs or listen to it on their Echo models or
connected speakers. The extra flexibility of that non-mobile viewing option could go a long
way towards boosting the desire for consumers to purchase content that is
ultimately locked to Amazon’s ecosystem. 

Lastly, while Amazon has gone a long way towards making the
entry-level hardware for its media ecosystem affordable, many believe the
company could go farther, potentially even subsidizing the hardware cost
entirely in an effort to sell more media. The idea does seem radical, but is not
entirely out of the realm of possibility considering that Amazon
already offers steep discounts on its tablet and e-reader lines if users are
willing to have advertisements displayed as their screensavers and lock
screens. 

Of course, Amazon cannot simply hand free Kindles out
on every street corner. It must have some guarantee that the devices will turn a
profit at some point. For this solution the company may wish to employ a
modified version of the old-fashioned mail-in rebate (MIR). Although MIRs are
generally unpopular because of the hassle and initial outlay, Amazon could
significantly improve the process by charging the user a small fee for the
Kindle purchase, and then applying that fee to the user’s first content acquisition.
The cost of the device would then be recouped either way, and, in most cases,
users would be indoctrinated to the Kindle media ecosystem, and continue to
generate revenue.

Summary

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Amazon currently finds its mobile device offerings in a fairly good place. The company is the clear winner in the e-reader market and has been
for several years. It has also mostly managed to retain a significant and remarkably
resilient
place in the tablet market. Whether or not this will continue depends largely on
Amazon's future plans. Several more generations of iterative, barely-there
updates may begin to seriously harm the company's market share. However, a Fire
line revamp could easily revitalize the well-known brand. Which direction Amazon
takes remains to be seen. However, Amazon's strength lies not in hardware sales,
but in its ability to provide all of the content consumers could want to fill
their shiny new e-readers and tablets. Although the same can be said for the
likes of Apple, Google, and Barnes & Noble, none of these companies offer the
scope, depth, or variety of media that Amazon does, nor do any of them have the
largest retail site on the Web constantly pulling customers in and reminding
them of their digital ecosystem.

References

• ¹ Charlie Sorrel. "Amazon’s Kindle Back in Stock."
  Wired. April 21, 2008.
• ² "Worldwide Tablet Shipments Return to Growth in Q3 2019, Fueled
  by New Product Launches, According to IDC." IDC. October 21,
  2019.
• ³ "Kindle Fire HD and Paperwhite Sales Make Amazon No Profit."
  BBC. October 11, 2012.
• ⁴ Andrew Rassweiler. "Amazon Kindle Fire Costs $201.70 to
  Manufacture" iSuppli.
  November 18, 2011.

Web Links

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• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
• Apple: http://www.apple.com/
• Google: http://www.google.com/
• Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

About the Author

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Michael Gariffo is an editor for Faulkner Information Services. He
tracks and writes about enterprise software and the IT services sector, as well
as telecommunications and data networking.

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