

Amazon has, for the first time since its release in April of last year, listed the Amazon Fire TV as “currently unavailable” with the subtext: “we don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that Amazon will never sell the device again, but it’s a pretty strong indication that they’ve exhausted their supply and are not in a rush to produce more. For example, the Certified Refurbished Fire TV has been listed as “currently unavailable” in the past, only to be made available once again. Speaking of the refurbished Fire TV, Amazon has added a box to the Fire TV’s product page directing customers to purchase the refurbished version.

We’ve been seeing more and more indication that a new Fire TV is just around the corner, so this change in the Fire TV’s availability is another big sign of a new model on the horizon. Ever since Prime Day, the Fire TV has been mostly listed as out of stock with the availability date periodically moving further away. Yesterday, the Fire TV was listed as being in stock near the end of the month. It’s telling that the device is being listed as unavailable instead of just listing a distant availability date. The Fire TV Stick Non-Voice Remote, for example, has been listed as out of stock with the message “usually ships within 2 to 4 months” ever since Prime Day. While it might as well be listed as unavailable, the key difference is that you can still place an order an item with a distant availability date, like the non-voice remote, but you cannot place an order for something listed as unavailable, like the Fire TV is now listed.

When refurbished Fire TVs first became available back in November, they were being sold for $79. The price increase to $94, where they stand now, occurred a few months ago in June. It may be that Amazon just has a large stockpile of refurbished Fire TVs that they want to sell, so making the Fire TV unavailable is their way of redirecting customers to the refurbished units. Time will tell, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Fire TV’s availability.

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