Amazon Confirms Kindle Fire Will Have Netflix

If you were taking a look at how the Kindle Fire compares to the Nook Tablet, you may have noticed that the Nook Tablet was the one launching with Netflix preinstalled. Well you can cross that advantage off the of the Nook’s list, as Amazon announced the Fire will also run the popular streaming service.

According to the news, up to this moment, Amazon wasn't clear yet if they would support Netflix on their tablet. When after all, Amazon would gladly sell Prime Memberships to their avid customers for their video streaming needs. While Prime has a solid (and growing) content selection in its own right, many customers were left wondering whether the cheaper Kindle Fire would run the service that they are already subscribed to.

The news is a major blow to the Nook Tablet. Compared to Barnes and Nobles which main advantage is it's seven inch slate said to be better with hardware specs than the Fire, it is trailing in the software department. Being able to say “our tablet runs Netflix, theirs doesn’t” would have been a huge boon for Barnes & Noble. Amazon at this moment should confirm to their customers whether they support Netflix or not since it could greatly affect both service providers. They could definitely steal some significant sales away from their rival .

People should watch out with the delicate balancing act that will be done by Amazon in promoting the Netflix capabilities. While making it known will divert sales away from the Nook Tablet, making it too known could divert sales away from Amazon Prime. Prime is part of the reason that the tablet can be sold at a subsidized $200, so the company obviously doesn’t want everyone using Netflix in its place.

No matter what this means for Amazon, this is undoubtedly a win for customers. If you’re already a Netflix subscriber who wants to buy the Fire, that means you don’t have to pay Amazon $79 per year to stream TV and movies on your tablet. Many customers will still join Prime anyway, but the fact that you don’t need to in order to unlock the full capabilities of your tablet is huge.

Another announcement, Amazon made was the availability of Pandora and Facebook in Kindle Fire. There was no mention of Hulu Plus, so that is still one big feather that Barnes & Noble can stick in their tablet’s hat.