While Amazon isn't selling half as many Kindle Fires as iPads, investment bank Stifel Nicolaus said Monday that first quarter shipments of the new tablet rose to 6 million, placing the Fire's ramp-up on par with that of the original iPad while carving out a strong-hold on the low end of the market this past holiday season.
Shipments of 15.4 million iPads in the fourth quarter of calendar 2011 gave Apple a commanding 58 percent of the market, while Amazon's Kindle Fire helped heat up Android tablet shipments to a record 39 percent, according to one analysis.
With Apple's iPad continuing to dominate the tablet market, total tablet sales in the U.S. nearly doubled to 19 percent ownership among adults after the holiday shopping season, according to a new report.
Orders for Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet will reportedly be cut in half to 3 million units in the first quarter of 2012, with slower post-holiday sales and the anticipated launch of Apple's third-generation iPad.
Combined iPhone and iPad sales in calendar 2012 are expected in one new forecast to reach more than 170 million in another record breaking 12-month span.
Despite the fact that Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet is based on Google's Android operating system, sources within the supply chain claim Google plans to become the Fire's biggest competitor with the release of a low-margin own-brand tablet early this year.
The launch of the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire had a detrimental effect on iPad sales for Apple, but the company is still expected to report record sales this quarter, a new report states.
Amazon once again on Thursday touted the success of its Kindle lineup, including the new Kindle Fire, but declined to get into specifics on sales figures.
Growing interest in 7-inch tablets from Amazon and Barnes & Noble has led to a spike in panel shipments even as Apple is believed to be drawing down production of the iPad 2 in preparation for its next-generation tablet, resulting in reports that 7-inch orders have briefly surpassed those of 9.7-inch panels.
Amazon this week updated its newly released Kindle Fire touchscreen tablet, with the latest software version aiming to address some performance issues with the device.
Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet will take share away from Apple this quarter, cutting the iPad's share of the market to 59 percent, a new analysis claims.
Amazon issued a press release on Thursday to reveal that its newly launched Kindle Fire tablet has sold "millions of units," but declined to give any specific sales figures.
With Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet drawing criticisms from consumers and reviewers alike, the online retailer has revealed a software update will arrive in a couple weeks to address some user complaints.
Sales estimates for Apple's iPad were slashed by 1 million units for 4Q11 due to a strong Kindle Fire launch, but iPhone sales pick up slack with domestic and international demand driving a 1.5 million increase on previous figures.
A small usability study on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet has found the device offers a "disappointingly poor user experience," especially with respect to web browsing and magazine reading.
Asus announced that it expects tablet shipments, which will reach 1.8 million units this year, to grow significantly next year, possibly even eclipsing the PC maker's shipments of netbooks in 2012.
Dell has thrown in the towel on its last Android-based Streak tablets in the US as new analysts step forward to note that Apple's only competition in tablets is coming from Amazon, although saying it is "needing to do so by selling at cost."
Amazon's new Kindle Fire represents the company's first device to move beyond black and white ebook readers and into the realm of apps, music, videos and magazines, delivered using a color touchscreen.
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Katie Marsal
Josh Ong
Sam Oliver
Slash Lane
Neil Hughes
Mikey Campbell
Daniel Eran Dilger
