Hold-Up, Amazon’s Kindle Not FCC Approved for Sale
Mega e-tailer Amazon may be putting the cart before the horse in accepting pre-orders for its new line of Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets. How so? Well, it's come to light that Amazon's new slates have not yet received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is a requirement to sell any wireless product.
It may be just a formality at this point, but it's still highly unusual to take orders for a device without FCC approval. Those who go ahead and submit a pre-order are reportedly being sent emails that say, in part, "We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission."
Some analysts say the lack of FCC approval this late in the game is simply a matter of Amazon's inexperience in dealing with wireless hardware. It could also be that Amazon was anxious to announce and accept orders for its new Kindle Fire models before Apple has a chance to storm the market with its upcoming (and rumored) iPad Mini device.
"Most companies try to get the FCC work done before they announce new products, so they don't have to make these awkward disclaimers," said Mitchell Lazarus, a partner at law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.
It may be just a formality at this point, but it's still highly unusual to take orders for a device without FCC approval. Those who go ahead and submit a pre-order are reportedly being sent emails that say, in part, "We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission."
Some analysts say the lack of FCC approval this late in the game is simply a matter of Amazon's inexperience in dealing with wireless hardware. It could also be that Amazon was anxious to announce and accept orders for its new Kindle Fire models before Apple has a chance to storm the market with its upcoming (and rumored) iPad Mini device.
"Most companies try to get the FCC work done before they announce new products, so they don't have to make these awkward disclaimers," said Mitchell Lazarus, a partner at law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.
