Amazon has lowered the cost of its latest tablet the Kindle Fire HD from $299 to $269, a decrease of $30.

Amazon, the company that makes the Kindle tablet, says the reduction in price is not due to a lack of demand for the product but rather a desire on their part to make the Kindle Fire available to as many people as possible.

In a press release issued on Amazon.com the company said:

"We're thrilled with customer reaction to Kindle Fire HD 8.9". Customers tell us they love our large-screen version of Kindle Fire HD for web browsing, email, gaming, watching TV shows, reading magazines, and more," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "As we expand Kindle Fire HD 8.9" to Europe and Japan, we've been able to increase our production volumes and decrease our costs. Across our business at Amazon, whenever we are able to create cost efficiencies like this, we want to pass the savings along to our customers."

Amazon released its first Kindle in 2011 as a way of keeping up with the competition, the Apple IPad.

The latest version of the Kindle is available in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, The UK and the United States.

The Amazon press release also listed the following features for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 Inch tablet,

• Large 8.9" display has the highest resolution of any Kindle Fire (1920x1200, 254 ppi), with rich color and deep contrast; ideal for movies, apps, and gaming.
• Custom Dolby audio and dual stereo speakers for crisp, rich sound.
• Over 23 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, and audiobooks.
• The most popular apps and games.
• Ultra-fast web browsing and streaming with built-in dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi.
• Front-facing HD camera for taking photos or making video calls.
• Exceptional battery life - Kindle Fire HD 8.9" gets 10 hours of battery life.
• Easy-to-use e-mail, calendar, and contacts for work or home, including Gmail, Hotmail, Exchange, and more.
• New Amazon-exclusive features like X-Ray for Movies, X-Ray for Textbooks, Immersion Reading, Whispersync for Voice and Whispersync for Games.
• Kindle FreeTime, a free, personalized tablet experience just for kids and exclusively available on Kindle Fire. Parents can set daily screen limits and give access to appropriate content for each child.
• "Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere" with Amazon apps available on the largest number of platforms so customers can use their Amazon content on any of their devices.
• Amazon's top-rated, world-class customer service.

The price of the Kindle Fire is expected to remain reduced throughout the year including back-to-school time and the holidays, two times of the year when the prices for electronics increase.