Amazon confirmed this weekend that users of the Kindle Fire HD tablets will indeed be able to opt out of the Special Offers lock screen advertisements, just as they can today on existing Kindle devices. But there’s more good news: Doing so will cost just $15, far less than it costs to do so on today’s Kindles.
“I wanted to let you know that with Kindle Fire HD there will be a Special Offers opt-out option for $15,” Amazon told CNET over the weekend. “We know from our Kindle reader line that customers love our Special Offers and very few people choose to opt out. We're happy to offer customers the choice.”
Amazon had previously suggested to bloggers that there would be no way to opt out of the Special Offers on the Kindle Fire HD, giving Apple fanatics the one point they needed to push back against Amazon’s amazingly superior pricing. That short-lived point is now moot, though as I’ve written in my previous reviews of Kindle devices, I actually prefer, use, and recommend Special Offers.
Furthermore, the cost of opting out of Special Offers on the Fire HD tablets—just $15--is significantly less than it is today for existing devices. For example, on the base Kindle I currently use, you’d pay $20 to opt out of Special Offers, or 33 percent more.
And in case it’s not obvious, the $15 additional fee does nothing to alter the math on how well these devices compare to Apple’s overpriced iPads. For example, a base Kindle Fire HD 8.9 will set you back $299, or $314 with Special Offers removed. Apple’s comparable iPad? Yep, it’s $499, a $200-$215 premium. That’s enough money to buy a 7-inch Kindle Fire HD. Or a heck of a lot of content on Amazon’s services.