According to an estimate by Charles Arthur, technology editor at The Guardian, the world's largest online retailer sold fewer than 35,000 of it's new smartphones in the first 20 days it was on the market. Compare that to Apple who sold 9 million iPhones within three days of the phones' release last September, according to an article in the Huffington Post.

The reasons for the low sales are pretty simple. Amazon is, or was, noted for their low prices on all types of merchandise, yet the Fire is just as expensive as a new iPhone or premium Android device, and not nearly as good. Apps like Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube -- aren't available for it. It's also only available on AT&T, which forces those on Verizon and Sprint to switch, which obviously they're not doing.

It seems to me that Amazon who was once a leader, is now becoming an also ran. Perhaps they should stick to what they are noted for, low prices, rather than venturing into technologies that are already overridden with better choices.

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