Skip to main content

Amazon to announce tablet Wednesday: analysts

amazon tablet android samsung
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After much anticipation, Amazon is expected to unveil its own tablet on Wednesday, according to market analysts who spoke with Reuters. Many believe an Amazon tablet stands the best chance of stealing some of the popularity thunder from Apple’s iPad.

“Wednesday is tablet day,” BCG analyst Collin Gillis told Reuters.

On Friday, Amazon invited select media outlets (including this one) to a mysterious event, which will be held this Wednesday, September 28. The company did not say why they are holding the event, or what will be launched. But it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that a tablet is in the pipeline – we’ve been hearing quite a few details about the device for some time.

According to a number of earlier reports, Amazon will release a 7-inch tablet, which is expected to be an extension of its Kindle e-reader line, but one that runs on Google’s Android operating system. A 10.1 inch version will reportedly be released sometime next year. MG Seigler of TechCrunch, who says he has actually played with the tablet, describes the “Amazon Kindle” tablet as “very similar” in look and “form-factor” to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The timing of Amazon’s event is telling. If the rumors are true, Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 on October 4 – a little less than a week after the Amazon event. By holding an event this week, Amazon positions itself to steal the tech press spotlight in the lead-up to the alleged Apple event. After that, it’ll be all Apple all the time.

While there’s obviously a chance Amazon will unveil something other than a tablet on Wednesday, we will be highly surprised if that happens. Either way, we’ll be there to report whatever comes out, so check back with DT for the latest Amazon news.

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Apple just admitted defeat to Android phones
A Google Pixel 8 Pro in Porcelain (left) with an iPhone 15 Pro in Blue Titanium held in hand.

For years, Apple’s smartphones have held a decisive upper hand over Android devices in one crucial aspect: the longevity of the software support cycle. In a nutshell, as long as your phone keeps getting updates, it will run just about fine.

Brand assurances play a crucial role in buyer behavior, as long-term update support means your phone will not only get new tricks but also security flaws patched. Notably, Apple is not into the habit of quoting how many years it will offer software support for each device, but it has held the crown for a while.

Read more
5 tablets you should buy instead of the iPad Pro (2024)
rear shell of M4 iPad Pro.

iPad Pro (M4) Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

The iPad Pro is Apple’s top-tier iPad model, and Apple finally gave it a big refresh after a year-and-a-half drought. The iPad Pro (2024) comes in two sizes -- 11 inches and 13 inches -- and packs in the latest silicon with the powerful M4 chip. Models with 1TB or 2TB even have a new nano-texture finish over the display, which is more anti-reflective than the regular models.

Read more
Apple just fixed a mistake with the new iPad Air
A person holding the Apple iPad Air (2024), showing the screen.

When Apple first announced the M2 iPad Air during its “Let Loose” event, it advertised the device as having a 10-core GPU. This was incorrect, as the tablet has only a 9-core GPU. According to Apple, these specs were a mix-up, and other performance claims about the iPad Air are still accurate.

While it’s not great to advertise a certain spec to customers and have them preorder and buy a device based on that claim, this isn’t a huge difference on paper, and you shouldn’t see any real difference in performance. According to a statement Apple made to 9to5Mac, “We are updating Apple.com to correct the core count for the M2 iPad Air. All performance claims for the M2 iPad Air are accurate and based on a 9-core GPU.”

Read more