Kindle Fire News Those Days

The Amazon Kindle has been riding high for some time now, but things just may be spiraling downward. The big news this week is that Target is removing the Kindle from its merchandising offerings. The phase out will be effective at all of its 1,700 brick and mortar stores as well as on its Internet website. The cessation in Kindle sales will also include all accessories and chargers for the Kindle products.

Coinciding with this unexpected news from Target is the revelation that Microsoft is investing in Barnes & Noble Nook, which has been somewhat at the bottom of the ebook reader chain. This infusion of capitol and backing has investors talking. Microsoft’s $300 million agreement with Nook ties the product to its own app for the upcoming Windows 8 browser. Clearly, Microsoft has taken sides in the ebook reader wars.

What does it all mean for Kindle? That is too early to tell. The loss of the Target distribution will have some impact, and if Microsoft can revitalize the Barnes & Noble Nook, the wars could heat up considerably.

First appearing in November 2011, the Amazon Kindle Fire is doing very well at this point. As of February 2012, the Fire had 54.4 percent of the Android tablet market, even though it is sold as an ereader. This fact has made some waves as buyers seem to like the option of variety with the Kindle Fire which provides them with 8gb of ram, USB connections, WiFi capability, a 7-inch display, the capability of running Android applications, use of the Amazon cloud, and access to Amazon’s other offerings such as music, movies, and ebooks. That is a lot for the retail price of $199.

On the whole, the Amazon Kindle set the ereader market on fire when it was originally released. It is still on top of its game, but now it faces some stiff competition from its competitors like Nook.