According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, Amazon is planning to introduce a 9" tablet computer before October that will place it head-to-head against Apple's iPad.
The new tablet will intensify a growing clash between Amazon and Apple. The two tech-industry titans are already fighting for customers for their respective digital book, music and video businesses. Now Amazon will have a device that will compete closely against Apple's popular iPad, as well as other tablets such as Samsung Electronic Co.'s Galaxy Tab.
Amazon's tablet will use a 9-inch screen and run on Google's Android operating system. The device won't carry a camera like the iPad but will allow customers to watch videos, read eBooks and listen to music from Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon will also be offering two updated versions of their popular Kindle e-reader around the same time. The report seemingly confirms a Digitimes story from June.
Apple's iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, but there have been rumors that Apple may be considering an iPad refresh as early as this fall which would place its release near Amazon's tablet launch. Amazon and Apple have become increasingly competitive over the years with recent disputes over the use of the "App Store" name.
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/iJest
Besides Apple, Amazon probably has the best collection of media under one roof to leverage on a device. You can buy music, movies, books, and apps from them -- all under your one Amazon account.
Can they do a decent job on software? We'll will see.