Amazon is set to release its new Kindle Fire HDX tablet by mid-October, around the same time Apple will release the iPad Mini 2.
While both Apple (AAPL) and Amazon’s (AMZN) tablets will have typical upgrades -- nicer displays, faster processers, and a sleeker design -- Amazon plans to bring something new to the table: Mayday.
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Call it a next-level Siri. The Mayday button on all new Fire tablets will purportedly connect the user with a live Amazon expert via video chat within 15 seconds. The customer service representative will be able to offer immediate tech support, but Yahoo Finance tech reporter Aaron Pressman thinks there’s more to it. “Why are they making this huge investment?"
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“They’re probably going to sell 5 to 10 million tablets," says Pressman. "They’re going to need a lot of live support representative for that. So maybe it becomes more than just ‘How does my brightness feature work?’ but ‘What book should I buy?’ ‘What movie should I watch?’ or even more complicated questions ‘What mutual fund is good?’ or ‘What healthcare exchange should I go to?’”
This tablet, suggests Pressman, is a Trojan horse for Amazon to get one foot into direct customer service, “like a digital Genius Bar.”
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Pressman also warns Apple to be wary of the Kindle Fire. “Some people said Apple can ignore the Fire but this is catching up on a lot of grounds and putting some pressure on Apple.”
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