Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 offerings get a price cut in US, expands international availability

Amazon announced Wednesday that it has reduced the price of its largest tablet offering, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9, and would be making it available in Europe and Japan.

The Seattle based company reduced the price of the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 to a more appealing price of $269 from yesterday’s price of $299; the 64GB model took the $299 price tag. Expect Amazon’s sales to go up as its  largest price cut is its 4G LTE-enabled offering. The 32GB version now sits at $399 — a whole $100 cheaper. However, the 64GB model now houses the $499 price tag.

Amazon, in addition to the price cuts, is expanding its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 offering to the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan. The hardware will go for £229, €269 and ¥24,800, respectively. Japan was previously able to pre-order the hardware in late February, and Amazon said that the tablet would begin shipping out on March 12.

Amazon originally launched its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in September 2012 to contend with Apple’s iPad Mini. The online retailer also upgraded its 7-inch Kindle Fire in the fall, which starts at $199and comes with ads on its lock screen. The 7-inch offering is already available in Japan and Europe, and won’t be seeing a price cut.