Amazon, With Suppliers, Is Testing a Smartphone
The Wall Street Journal
TAIPEI—Amazon.com Inc. is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a smartphone, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting that the Internet retail giant, which sells the Kindle Fire tablet computers, is considering broadening its mobile-device offerings. Officials at some of Amazon’s parts suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Seattle-based company is testing a smartphone and mass production of the new device may start late this year or early next year.
A smartphone from Amazon would spur more competition in the already crowded market. While Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy handsets continue to dominate the lucrative high-end segment, the overall smartphone market is expanding rapidly with many players offering new models that are diverse in terms of sizes, technological features and prices.