wraggster
September 10th, 2012, 18:54
Amazon makes a U-turn, but freedom from advertising comes at a price.
The applause for the new Kindle Fire range (http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/amazon-unleashes-kindle-fire-hd-line-and-turns-up-the-heat-on-ipad/019281) had barely finished echoing before Amazon started getting stick for its plans to make the devices ad supported.
The tablets come with ads built in, which display on the lock screen, but unlike earlier Kindles, there's no option to pay for an ad-free version of the device.
Amazon said: "Special Offers appear directly on your Kindle Fire. Offers appear on your lock screen, and you can also view offers from the Home screen by tapping Offers. By delivering these offers to your Kindle Fire, Amazon is able to sell it for a lower price."
The internet was in uproar. How dare Amazon betray us like this? The Kindle Fire HD looks amazing, but not with ads. Nuh uh. Even worse was Amazon's response to these complaints, telling people that there will be no way to opt out of these ads.
But then, 24 hours later...
Amazon revealed that, yes, Kindle Fire users will be able to opt out of the ads, but it will cost $15 (post-sale) to cover the lost ad subsidies.
An Amazon spokesman said: "With Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD there will be a special offer opt-out option for $15. 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."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/it-is-possible-to-opt-out-of-ads-on-the-kindle-fire/019313
The applause for the new Kindle Fire range (http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/amazon-unleashes-kindle-fire-hd-line-and-turns-up-the-heat-on-ipad/019281) had barely finished echoing before Amazon started getting stick for its plans to make the devices ad supported.
The tablets come with ads built in, which display on the lock screen, but unlike earlier Kindles, there's no option to pay for an ad-free version of the device.
Amazon said: "Special Offers appear directly on your Kindle Fire. Offers appear on your lock screen, and you can also view offers from the Home screen by tapping Offers. By delivering these offers to your Kindle Fire, Amazon is able to sell it for a lower price."
The internet was in uproar. How dare Amazon betray us like this? The Kindle Fire HD looks amazing, but not with ads. Nuh uh. Even worse was Amazon's response to these complaints, telling people that there will be no way to opt out of these ads.
But then, 24 hours later...
Amazon revealed that, yes, Kindle Fire users will be able to opt out of the ads, but it will cost $15 (post-sale) to cover the lost ad subsidies.
An Amazon spokesman said: "With Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD there will be a special offer opt-out option for $15. 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."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/it-is-possible-to-opt-out-of-ads-on-the-kindle-fire/019313