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Amazon is today expected to launch the biggest rival to the Apple iPad - at what could be half the price.
Although Seattle-based Amazon has not confirmed it is launching a tablet, it is holding an event in New York, with its boss Jeff Bezos speaking.
Release of the much-rumoured new Kindle - which uses a 7in touch screen - will be called the "Kindle Fire", according to the technology blog TechCrunch .
The device is expected to be available for consumers by early November.
Analysts expect the tablet to sell for less than £200 - much less than the iPad, which retails on the Apple website at £399.
It will run a version of Google's Android operating system and look similar to BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet, according to reports.
TechCrunch has said the Amazon device's screen will be just under three inches smaller than the iPad's 9.7in interface.
Rivals attempting to enter the fast-growing tablet market have often struggled, including BlackBerry maker RIM and Dell.
And Samsung has encountered difficulties with its Galaxy Tab 7.7, including a patent battle with Apple.
But technology analysts are predicting that an Amazon product could pose the most serious challenge yet to Apple's dominance.
"More than any other recent tablet introduction, Amazon's entry is set to shake the still-solidifying market to its very core," independent analyst Carmi Levy said.
"Unlike hardware manufacturers who lack the pockets and the resolve to slug it out with Apple in a protracted war over market share, Amazon has both the resources and the will to stay in the game as long as it needs to," he said.
Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, in a recent blog post, said Amazon taking on Apple is a "bit like David taking on Goliath".
But Ms Rotman Epps said Amazon's willingness to sell hardware at a loss combined with the strength of its brands makes it the only credible iPad competitor in the market.
According to technology research firm Gartner, the iPad will account for 68.7% of the 69.7 million tablets sold this year.
It will also remain the top-selling device over the next few years.
Mr Levy and other analysts have said they expect Amazon to significantly undercut Apple on price.
"Since Amazon is in the business of moving content and not hardware, I expect its tablet to be very aggressively priced," he said.
Forrester Research predicted that Amazon could sell 3.5 million tablets in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, with a device priced under £200.
Like with the Kindle, Amazon would not be looking to make a profit on the hardware but from digital content such as books, music, movies and games.
Amazon has so far declined to comment on the new tablet.
Amazon Tablet 'To Shake Market To Its Core' - Yahoo!
Although Seattle-based Amazon has not confirmed it is launching a tablet, it is holding an event in New York, with its boss Jeff Bezos speaking.
Release of the much-rumoured new Kindle - which uses a 7in touch screen - will be called the "Kindle Fire", according to the technology blog TechCrunch .
The device is expected to be available for consumers by early November.
Analysts expect the tablet to sell for less than £200 - much less than the iPad, which retails on the Apple website at £399.
It will run a version of Google's Android operating system and look similar to BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet, according to reports.
TechCrunch has said the Amazon device's screen will be just under three inches smaller than the iPad's 9.7in interface.
Rivals attempting to enter the fast-growing tablet market have often struggled, including BlackBerry maker RIM and Dell.
And Samsung has encountered difficulties with its Galaxy Tab 7.7, including a patent battle with Apple.
But technology analysts are predicting that an Amazon product could pose the most serious challenge yet to Apple's dominance.
"More than any other recent tablet introduction, Amazon's entry is set to shake the still-solidifying market to its very core," independent analyst Carmi Levy said.
"Unlike hardware manufacturers who lack the pockets and the resolve to slug it out with Apple in a protracted war over market share, Amazon has both the resources and the will to stay in the game as long as it needs to," he said.
Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, in a recent blog post, said Amazon taking on Apple is a "bit like David taking on Goliath".
But Ms Rotman Epps said Amazon's willingness to sell hardware at a loss combined with the strength of its brands makes it the only credible iPad competitor in the market.
According to technology research firm Gartner, the iPad will account for 68.7% of the 69.7 million tablets sold this year.
It will also remain the top-selling device over the next few years.
Mr Levy and other analysts have said they expect Amazon to significantly undercut Apple on price.
"Since Amazon is in the business of moving content and not hardware, I expect its tablet to be very aggressively priced," he said.
Forrester Research predicted that Amazon could sell 3.5 million tablets in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, with a device priced under £200.
Like with the Kindle, Amazon would not be looking to make a profit on the hardware but from digital content such as books, music, movies and games.
Amazon has so far declined to comment on the new tablet.
Amazon Tablet 'To Shake Market To Its Core' - Yahoo!
