TABLET computers will spark the next stage of the shopping revolution, insists
the man who got us buying over the internet.
Multi-billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reckons devices such as the Kindle
Fire will make shopping even easier, faster and fun.
Giving The Sun his first UK interview for five years, the lively American
explained: “These devices are now getting capable enough that on a tablet
you can lean back on your sofa and shop.”
Jeff, 48, said: “People are browsing and shopping more. It’s a very good
experience on tablet and it’s becoming a better experience on a smartphone.”
The dad of four set up online retailer Amazon in 1994 — and though Apple
started the tablet revolution, he wants to take it to everyone. And he is
doing it with a bargain device that has more than a fifth of the US market.
The Kindle Fire is £129 — the cheapest available.
He said: “The Kindle Fire HD is the only tablet to have dual Wi-Fi — something
normally only on high-end laptops.
“It means streaming and downloading of apps and so on is very fast. It’s a big
deal. And it has dual speaker stereo Dolby Digital Plus sound which is
remarkable — I don’t know if you’ve already listened?”
I haven’t. We have a listen. It is good.
Jeff will face stiff competition — not least from the £250 Apple iPad Mini,
due out next month. But there are rumours of an Amazon phone which I put to
him. With his booming Brian Blessed laugh, he said: “I just can’t tell you.”
So look out for one next year, I reckon…
myView
By DANIEL JONES, Consumer Editor
I WAS the first UK newspaper journalist to get a demo of the Kindle Fire from
Jeff himself.
It is not as slick as an iPad — but it is not far off. That’s impressive given
prices start at £129.
At 7in the screen is smaller and less detailed than the new iPad. But both
Fires (the HD one is £159) match the displays of the first two iPads. There
is no camera on the basic model. The HD has a front-facing one, fine for a
video chat.
Both are still fast for web browsing, fine for Twitter and Facebook, great to
show off holiday pics — and can easily be set up for emails.
There is one other really important point. All the content you download has to
be from Amazon.
That’s how the firm can sell the Kindle so cheaply. They don’t need to make
any money from the device itself. They will make it from selling you other
stuff, same as Apple’s iTunes and Google’s Play Store.