Consumer Electronics the Money Losing Game

More CE items continue to be Money Losing items like the video game consoles. How many items will be dependant on services to make money. Can the CE industry support this model across more and more items? How many monthly fees or services can customers sign up for to support this model?

JZ

 

Amazon Tablet Cost Exceeds Retail Price: IHS

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 9/30/2011

El Segundo, Calif. - Amazon will retail its Kindle Fire tablet at $199 even though IHS iSuppli estimates that it costs $209.63 to build the device.

The pricing underscores Amazon's focus on using its e-readers and tablet to promote the online sale of its physical good, the research company said.

A preliminary estimate conducted by the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service places Kindle Fire's bill of materials (BOM) cost at $191.65. With the addition of manufacturing expenses, the total cost to produce the Kindle Fire hits $209.63, IHS said. (See table.) LINK TO 21AMAZONTAB11.xlsx)

Amazon Fire - Preliminary Hardware Cost Estimates Components Cost Display & Touchscreen $87.00 Main PCB $70.40 Memory $25.00 Apps Proc $15.00 WLAN $6.00 Other & Peripheral PCBs $24.40 Battery $18.25 Enclosure $11.00 Box Contents $5.00 Sub Total $191.65 Device Costs Manufacturing Costs $8.40 EMS Margin $9.58 Hardware Cost to AMZ $209.63 Source: IHS iSuppli Research, September 2011

With the expected lifetime sales of digital content per device, however, Amazon will likely generate a razor-thin marginal profit of $10 on each Kindle Fire sold, IHS continued, given that Amazon sells content at a loss. The real value of the tablet, as with the Kindle e-readers, is to use content "to get shoppers in the door" and then sell them all sorts of other goods, IHS said. "The real benefit of the Kindle Fire to Amazon will not be in selling hardware or digital content."

The tablet and the "content demand it stimulates will serve to promote sales of the kinds of physical goods that comprise the majority of Amazon's business."