(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc. introduced its eagerly awaited tablet computer on Wednesday with a price tag that could make it the first strong competitor in a tablet market that has been dominated by Apple Inc.’s iPad.

The new device, priced at $199, may have the biggest impact on other makers of tablets and e-readers, such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Barnes & Noble Inc., maker of the Nook.

(SLIDESHOW and VIDEO of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introducing the Kindle Fire.)

“It’s a Nook killer,” said Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell more on websites including Amazon.com. “And it’s a very compelling offering if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem already.”

The Kindle Fire tablet has a 7-inch screen, free data storage over the Internet and a new browser called Amazon Silk. Amazon expects shipments to start on Nov. 15.

Amazon also introduced the …

Apple has unveiled its new iPad, which it claims is thinner, lighter and faster.

Steve Jobs, despite all the rumors about his health, showed up at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco on Wednesday. He was also thinner and lighter, but still energetic, according to reports.

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Apple Inc. reached an agreement to make the Beatles’ catalog of songs available on iTunes. News of the deal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. EMI Group Ltd., which is the record label for the Beatles, is a portfolio company of U.K.-based Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd.