The tablet market is one which has continued to see a downward spiral when it comes to sales and adoption rates. This is partly assumed to be an effect of the growing size of smartphones, which at the phablet level, encroach significantly on the smaller sized tablets, effectively reducing their need and importance. By the same token though, the larger tablet size market is one which is equally being squeezed thanks to the popularity and availability of more affordable (and more portable) Chromebooks and Notebooks. With that in mind, the tablet market is one which is consistently seeing its future being debated upon and doubted.
That said, compared to some of the options available, Amazon has always done reasonably well with their Fire range of tablets and this is in stark contrast to what was considered a significant flop with their Fire Phone. Although, part of the reason for the Fire Phone’s failure was likely its much-inflated price which effectively pitted the device against the latest and greatest smartphones that were also being released at the same time. As such, recent reports confirmed that engineers working in the department that was responsible for the Fire Phone were being laid off.
Well, a report coming from the Wall Street Journal today suggests that Amazon might be preparing to launch a new piece of hardware soon. Although, unlike the Fire Phone, this one will be aggressive targeting the lower end of the market. The device is a new tablet and according to the report, it will be a tablet which only costs $50. At the moment, virtually nothing is known about this tablet, including the specs, but it seems fair to assume, that if it is priced at$50, then this won’t be aimed as a high or even mid-range device and therefore, will unlikely come with even mid-range specs. That said, as $50, it will be hard to find fault with tablet which can be bought brand-new. Interestingly, the report does detail that this will be a 6-inch tablet and therefore, will be one which is competing against the rising phablet market and likely be aimed at offering users a quick-fix solution to video watching or surfing. The report also does note that a single mono speaker will be in effect, although, for the price tag in question, that is unlikely to be surprising or even disappointing.