Fire Sale: Why Amazon’s Much-Hyped Phone Flopped
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Amazon(NEW YORK) — Amazon’s much-hyped Fire phone didn’t even create a spark in the smartphone market. Four months after its debut, the device, which featured what Amazon called “breakthrough” technology, is now selling on Amazon for 99 cents with a contract — placing it at about the same price point as a fast food hamburger.
Where Amazon went wrong was creating a device geared toward drawing in new Amazon shoppers, according to Patrick Moorhead, principal technology analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. He said the smart phone and Amazon were a classic case of a “brand mismatch.”
“I think that Amazon was more interested in monetizing its buyers than actually delivering a compelling experience,” Moorhead told ABC News.
The Fire phone is equipped with a feature that allows users to identify almost any product — from a book to a game or a container of kosher salt. It then directs users to Amazon to make purchases.
The 3-D display, ideal for game play, was touted by Amazon as another breakthrough feature of the phone. From Moorhead’s perspective, it’s one place the company had a chance to shine but executed the technology entirely the wrong way.
“I could imagine on a 10-inch tablet playing some really cool 3-D games, but their display was too small,” he said. “It was the wrong platform.”
Reviews of the Fire phone, which averages about 2-stars on Amazon, range from “extremely sad and dissatisfied” and “I wanted to love you” to “five stars.”
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