Amazon Looks To Ditch Homegrown Software For Android in Fire Tablet Revamp (reuters.com)
(Wednesday August 20, 2025 @05:25PM (msmash)
from the strategy-shift dept.)
- Reference: 0178793038
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/25/08/20/201240/amazon-looks-to-ditch-homegrown-software-for-android-in-fire-tablet-revamp
- Source link: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-looks-ditch-homegrown-software-android-fire-tablet-revamp-sources-say-2025-08-20/
Amazon is plotting a big change to its Fire tablet lineup following years of escalating gripes from consumers and app developers over the company's homegrown operating system. Reuters:
> As part of a project known internally as Kittyhawk, Amazon plans to [1]release a higher-end tablet as soon as next year offering the Android operating system software for the first time, according to six people familiar with the matter. Since the Fire tablet's introduction in 2011, Amazon has used what is known as a "forked" version of Android with custom modifications that make it work like a unique operating system.
>
> [...] The first Amazon Android tablet, slated for next year, will be pricier than current models, the people said. One of them said Amazon had discussed a $400 price tag, nearly double the cost of its current higher-end $230 Fire Max 11 tablet. IPads, by comparison, range from $350 to $1,200. Reuters could not learn additional specifications for the planned Amazon tablet, such as screen size and speaker quality or memory capacity. Amazon historically has avoided using software or other products from third parties, preferring to develop the services in-house or, barring that, to acquire a competitor.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-looks-ditch-homegrown-software-android-fire-tablet-revamp-sources-say-2025-08-20/
> As part of a project known internally as Kittyhawk, Amazon plans to [1]release a higher-end tablet as soon as next year offering the Android operating system software for the first time, according to six people familiar with the matter. Since the Fire tablet's introduction in 2011, Amazon has used what is known as a "forked" version of Android with custom modifications that make it work like a unique operating system.
>
> [...] The first Amazon Android tablet, slated for next year, will be pricier than current models, the people said. One of them said Amazon had discussed a $400 price tag, nearly double the cost of its current higher-end $230 Fire Max 11 tablet. IPads, by comparison, range from $350 to $1,200. Reuters could not learn additional specifications for the planned Amazon tablet, such as screen size and speaker quality or memory capacity. Amazon historically has avoided using software or other products from third parties, preferring to develop the services in-house or, barring that, to acquire a competitor.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-looks-ditch-homegrown-software-android-fire-tablet-revamp-sources-say-2025-08-20/
Er (Score:2)
by cascadingstylesheet ( 140919 )
Er, wasn't it just a very lightly modified version of Android before?
I have one ... not much different; just didn't have Play Store. Which I could and did sideload ...
interesting... (Score:2)
by SeaFox ( 739806 )
I could have sworn the rumors prior to this were that they were going the other direction (ditching the Android-based FireOS for something not Android-related). Which would have meant developers having to make special apps for it instead of being able to retool existing Android apps. I guess that was more about Fire TV devices, but that would also mean they are splitting the platforms from each other.
Google store? (Score:3)
I'd thought they were moving further away from stock Android not long ago, I have an older model that does ok having sideloaded Google Play Store onto it for additional apps that otherwise aren't in the Amazon Store.