The Amazon Fire phone landed to widespread criticism from reviewers and consumers alike, a backlash that the firm says has taught it some valuable lessons.
Speaking to The Guardian, Jorrit Van de Meulen, Amazon’s VP of devices, said: “In an honest assessment of the Fire phone, we’ve learned a lot on this one.”
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The Fire phone launched in the USA just three months ago, and has since then has been the target of en masse put-downs.
The most common complaints were poor build quality, unjustified pricing, and the mildly obnoxious Firefly software.
Firefly was a feature that allowed users to scan any real-world object, song, or video, and then purchase it via Amazon.
Unfortunately this left many feeling as though the handset was little more than a downsized shopping cart stuck in the Amazon aisle.
Van de Meulen explained the thought process behind Firefly, saying “our strategy has been to not make money on devices, but make money when people use the devices.”
Fortunately the criticisms haven’t fallen on deaf ears, with the VP suggesting that Amazon might take a different approach in the future.
“We certainly read everything that’s written from customers to journalists and take note,
He then went on to compare the Fire phone to other Amazon fare that saw similarly chilly public reception.
“If you look at version one of the Kindle e-reader it was pretty bad, like the reviews we received on it,” he said. “But we said we’re going to keep going, keep investing, and do this eventually, receiving many lumps along the way.”
“The number of times we’ve been written off or received lumps because of short-term speed bumps – the list is really, really long.”
Amazon launched its Fire phone in the UK back in September, offering the device exclusively through O2.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
