Marketing Strategy Final Examination
The Kindle Fire: Amazon’s Heated Battle for the Tablet Market
Submitted by: Michael McNevitts
Student number: 0708890 Section 1
Q1. It seems ambiguous whether the Kindle Fire can be categorized as a tablet or e-reader. Nowadays, these two terms are looking and performing quite similarly thus making it difficult to tell them apart. There are some important differences between the two that will prove useful in making this distinction. The first is screen size as the Kindle Fire has a 7-ich screen, which is consistent with most other e-readers. In contrast, tablets come in a range of sizes but some of the more popular ones such as the i-Pad can have 10-iche screens. Another key differentiator is the software in each product; the i-Pad runs on the iOS, which has extensive online stores that have thousands of apps. They allow for a lot of options when you can have the option to download a second web browser outside of the one pre-installed. The Kindle Fire runs a special proprietary version of Android owned by Amazon with fewer features and available apps.
In my opinion, the Kindle Fire lies somewhere in-between an e-reader and tablet. It has the look and feel and an e-reader and caters to their once dominant customer segment. However, with its innovated features including Amazon Silk (a cloud-based web browser), the Kindle Fire steps closer to the functionalities of a tablet. Although competing tablets such as the i-Pad are deemed ‘high-end’ in terms of operating system and technical capabilities, the Kindle Fire has made steps closer to being classified a tablet.
Q2.
Amazon has faced numerous competitions since introducing the new Kindle Fire. CEO Jeff Bezos hopes to capitalize on a risky pricing model for his new product. By understanding the external environment, Bezos will provide himself with the best chance in succeeding with his ambitious leap of faith into his consumers.
a) To position