FoxConn To Make An Amazon Smartphone For 2013

A new report from Taiwan suggests that FoxConn is hard at work on an Amazon smartphone, according to Forbes. The phone could see the light of day next year.

Although rumors that the cellphone manufacturer would make a smartphone for the folks at Amazon are certainly nothing new, this is the first report that suggests the company is moving forward on the proposed project.

If the reports from the Taiwan Economic News are to be believed, then Amazon has contracted FoxConn Technology to manufacture roughly five millions phones. Should everything go according to plan, the retailer will launch the smartphones during the second or third quarter of 2013.

Reports also indicate the Amazon smartphone will sell for betwen $100 and $200. However, specific details about the phone or its plan have not been made available as of this writing.

Rumors surrounding Amazon’s desire to get into the smartphone business have been swirling around the internet for over a year now. A Gizmodo report from 2011 stated the company might be in the process of making a Kindle Phone. It’s currently unknown if the gadget being designed by FoxConn has something to do with these earlier reports.

CNBC explains that a smartphone could be the next logical step for Amazon. However, some analysts believe the venture could be risky due to the amount of money it takes to develop and manufacture such technology.

“Phones are more utility devices,” analyst Colin Sebastian explained to the website last summer. “It requires carrier distribution and developing apps like maps and search, which are potentially large investments for Amazon.”

FoxConn Technology currently manufacturers iPhones for the folks over at Apple. The company has been in the news quite a bit recently, thanks in part to employee riots which have taken place over the past several months.

Would you be interested in purchasing a smartphone from Amazon?