Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Phones 2013: Amazon Kindle Smartphone $200, L-Series....iPhone's Reign Over?

L

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
siiip5 said:
If this phone rumor goes ahead and becomes reality, Jeff Bozo better start padding his resumé. Amazon had its first quarterly net loss in 9 years last quarter (and the Fire HD helped Amazon along). Amazon sells at cost and expects money to come from content sales. This didn't happen with the original Fire, it isn't happening with the HD and it certainly won't happen with a phone.
Besides, who wants a phone designed to be an Amazon catalog with adverts on the homescreen?
Click to expand...

Source? Cause Amazon hasn't been that open about the sales it generates from the Kindle fire.
 
ChrisTX

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,686
54
Texas
I think what people tend to forget is that Amazon will have the same carrier stumbling blocks as Google is having with Android. In order for them to be successful, and have a mass market phone they will have to partner with the carriers, good luck! Steve Jobs was so good, he was able to sell cingular the iPhone without them being able to even see what they were buying. Now that's a great salesman!

EDIT: I don't think an Amazon smartphone will be any cheaper than the Nexus 4. Sure Amazon can sell at cost, and try to recoup with App sales/Prime/Amazon store etc...But I'm fairly certain the Nexus 4 is already at cost, because Google can make it up with ad revenue. I see the smartphone market being a little more difficult than the tablet market. Apple will be fine, they run the smartphone market in America, and much of the world.
 
J

Jibbajabba

macrumors 65816
Aug 13, 2011
1,024
5
ChrisTX said:
I think what people tend to forget is that Amazon will have the same carrier stumbling blocks as Google is having with Android. .
Click to expand...

What stumbling blocks - if the phone is unlocked like the N4 then it shouldn't be an issue - at least Amazon isn't so useless like Google when it comes to deliveries / pre-orders etc.

Google just cannot deal with the shopping process itself - that at least Amazon can :)
 
TacticalDesire

TacticalDesire

macrumors 68020
Mar 19, 2012
2,286
23
Michigan
The skin Amazon uses is painfully laggy and slow. It stutters all the time. It was a problem on the first gen fire running 2.3 and it's also a problem on the second gen running 4.0 and to a lesser extent, the fire HD. Amazon needs to fix it. It's a good tablet with solid specs but is being crippled by amazons software. Rooting it and installing 4.1 makes it a comparable experience to the Nexus 7 running stock android.
 
S

siiip5

macrumors 6502
Nov 13, 2012
395
0
LIVEFRMNYC said:
Source? Cause Amazon hasn't been that open about the sales it generates from the Kindle fire.
Click to expand...

Source is Amazon's quarterly report. This is an open source document available to anyone that does a google search.

Amazon does not report sales figures of individual products, but it legally has to tell the public and investors how it gains and loses money.
 
A

Awakener

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 28, 2011
345
0
MisterKeeks

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,834
28
There has never been a true iPhone/iPad killer, so I don't think that the unlocked price will bring the iPad down.
 
A

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,374
570
Very hard for amazon to hit the $199 unlocked unsubsidized price point for a phone.

Remember phones have extra chips like 3G/4g/GPS all in a smaller package.

The nexus 4 sells like hot cakes for $299/349 at the Play store and sold out for weeks. So amazon would be idiots to try to hit the $199 price.
 
D

Deity 47

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2012
11
0
Content is king as they say, and Amazon has content. But it would be nice if Blackberry 10 created some true competition for iOS.
 
A

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,374
570
Just surprised (for those one 1-2 line post paid plans). Just surprised in the USA that consumers can't realize a $299/349 high end smartphone like the nexus 4 is a bargin when used with a prepaid carrier like straight talk $45 or T mobile $30 5GB plan.

Amazon probably will have a hard time in the cell phone business cause its just hard to convince the American public.
 
L

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
siiip5 said:
Source is Amazon's quarterly report. This is an open source document available to anyone that does a google search.

Amazon does not report sales figures of individual products, but it legally has to tell the public and investors how it gains and loses money.
Click to expand...


Most of Amazon's loss was from investing in Living Social. Amazon has pretty much broke even with the Kindle Fire all while increasing registration on a large scale, which was their purpose to begin with.
 
ChrisTX

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,686
54
Texas
Jibbajabba said:
What stumbling blocks - if the phone is unlocked like the N4 then it shouldn't be an issue - at least Amazon isn't so useless like Google when it comes to deliveries / pre-orders etc.

Google just cannot deal with the shopping process itself - that at least Amazon can :)
Click to expand...

But the general public doesn't want a DIY smartphone. Search Google, and you'll see that most people have no clue how to get the N4 running on their own. Amazon has no experience in mobile, good luck to them!
 
E

EbookReader

macrumors 65816
Apr 3, 2012
1,190
1
aneftp said:
Very hard for amazon to hit the $199 unlocked unsubsidized price point for a phone.

Remember phones have extra chips like 3G/4g/GPS all in a smaller package.

The nexus 4 sells like hot cakes for $299/349 at the Play store and sold out for weeks. So amazon would be idiots to try to hit the $199 price.
Click to expand...


The amazonphone will be $299 for 16GB (unlocked and no contract like the Nexus 4).

(just my prediction).
 
P

paolo-

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2008
831
1
I doubt there's space for Amazon. At 199 they can't produce a phone that'll compete with the likes of the iPhone, S3 and nexus. Next up I also doubt they'll be able to get carriers on board. Which means the only way to get the phone will be on their site like the nexus. Mind you while the nexus is great it's far from having main stream traction. Getting that traction will be even harder if it isn't what the geeks want. Lastly I don't really see how Amazon would make money with a phone. There's a lot less downloading of media going on than on a tablet.
 
A

Awakener

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 28, 2011
345
0
Many people would use a device or service subsidized by ads. Millions already do this with the Kindle devices. If the ads do not interfere with usage it might work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom