Amazon preparing 'up to six' new Kindle Fire tablets

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http://www.todayonline.com/Technology/EDC120724-0000092/Amazon-preparing-up-to-six-new-Kindle-Fire-tablets

Amazon will introduce up to six new tablets to succeed the Kindle Fire, as it intensifies its challenge to Apple, according to a major American retailer.

The head of US retail for Staples, Mr Demos Parneros, said he expected "five or six" new models to reach stores, including at least one with a 10-inch screen to match the iPad.

The first Kindle Fire, still only available in America, has a 7-inch screen. It made its debut last autumn but has itself recently been challenged at the lower end of the tablet market by Google's Nexus 7, and has seen intial enthusiasm fade amid complaints of poor build quality and clunky software.

It was unclear whether Mr Parneros referred only to several variations of new tablets, or a combination of tablets and Kindle e-readers, but his claims back those of industry observers who expect Amazon to introduce new models in time for the run in to Christmas.

The signs from Lab126, the firm's devices division, are also that a big expansion is underway, with both tablets and smartphones in the works.

Lab126 had just over 500 employees listed on LinkedIn in September, when Amazon launched the Kindle Fire. That has since grown to 865.

Seven job postings by Lab126 in recent months sought hardware and software engineers who have experience with mobile phone projects. Amazon also hired two Windows Phone managers from Microsoft in recent months, according to their LinkedIn profiles.