Amazon to Allow Kindle Fire Users to Pay to Block Ads

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Amazon to Allow Kindle Fire Users to Pay to Block Ads

Cover of "Kindle Wireless Reading Device,...

Amazon.com, in an apparent switch in its pricing policy, said over the weekend that it would allow buyers of its new Kindle Fire tablet to pay $15 extra to turn off advertisements that are built into the devices.

The change came after Amazon unveiled larger Kindle Fire tablets on Thursday, priced from $159 to $599, to challenge Apple’s dominantiPad on price and additional digital content.

Amazon had said the tablets would come with ads known as “special offers” that appear when screens are locked and in the corner of the home screen, helping to keep prices down. But criticism of the company mounted in online forums after reports that Amazon would not allow buyers to pay to block the ads as it had done with earlier tablets.

By Saturday, the Web sites engadget.com and cnet.com were reporting that Amazon had changed its policy.

In an e-mail response to questions, an Amazon representative, Kinley Pearsall, said: “With Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD, there will be a special offers opt-out option for $15. 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 announced the new wireless tablets without having received approval for their sale from the Federal Communications Commission, which requires that products operate safely and without interfering with other signals. The company said it expected to receive approval in time to meet its planned shipping date of Nov. 20.

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