Amazon has just announced that they’re pulling back on the one of the less well received new features for the new Kindle Fire.
You’ve probably heard in the past couple days that Amazon had planned to inflict ads upon all owners of the new Kindle Fire HD Android tablets. I have some good news and bad news. You don’t have to see the ads, but it’s going to cost you $15 to get rid of them (according to TechCrunch). Here’s what an Amazon spokesman said:
We know from our Kindle reader line that customers love our special offers and very few people choose to opt out. We’re happy to offer customers the choice.
Well this was a short-lived story.
So, do you think the $214 Kindle Fire HD is as good of a value as it was when that same tablet cost $199?
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For some people the lack of the discount offers is a big minus.
What I’m finding interesting is that last year the ads gave you as much as $40 worth of subsidy–this year $20 or less. Are they generating less revenue than Amazon expects or are they factoring in that they are generally less offensive to people and thus they don’t have to pay as much to get people to accept them?
Yes, the pricing margin on the new Kindle Paperwhite and black K4 caught my eye as well. I do wonder why it shrank.
I believe your first theory is correct. When the Kindle with Special Offers was first released, there were lots of great offers. Now it’s mostly AmazonLocal ads, the Kindle Daily Deal, and various other Kindle books.
I’m trading in my Kindle Fire on a new one. I don’t mind ads on the lock screen but if they are on the home screen or any other screen, I’ll pay the money to get them off. If I was strapped for cash, I would probably be glad that I can pay 15 less now and the rest later when able.
Honestly, I think if you can’t afford $15, then you shouldn’t be spending $199 on a tablet. This whole kerfuffle is beyond silly to me.
Well I did say *if* I was strapped for money. And people save up to buy things they want all the time. Not everyone can plunk down two hundred just like that, does that mean because it took them a month to save it up they shouldn’t buy it? That is rather silly as well.
Now if they can’t pay their rent, then yea they shouldn’t buy it but its up to someone else to judge what they can and can’t afford.
Plus $15 is still $15 and some people *want* the ads. Saves them even *more* money if they see an offer they like.
Meanwhile, Amazon gets to advertise slightly lower prices on the gadgets.
No biggie, really.
It’s not so much about not being able to afford $15 as it is about being able to put that same $15 toward something you’d rather have now (a new cover, a new book, a new case, a skin, a Prime membership, etc) . If the ads turn out to annoy you, pay the $15 later when you don’t have so many device and device-related content purchases on your credit card bill. When most people talk about “affording” the 15 dollars, they don’t mean they can’t eat if they pay it. They mean they have budgeted for entertainment and that 15 dollars means they can’t buy some other fun item they might like and stay within their budget.
I do not understand why we have to pay anything to take it off We already bought the tablet thats what “beyond silly to me”
$15 Seems extremely reasonable to opt out of Kindle Adverts. Is this just a one-time fee?
why should i pay 79$/year for prime then another 20$ not 15$ to get rid of dumb shit.