If anyone needs proof that Amazon’s flagship Android tablet managed to live up to its hype, here are some statistics for you.
It only took two weeks for the Kindle Fire “to surpass all other iPad rivals,” according to a new report from analytics group IHS.
According to the report, 3.9 million units of the affordable device will be shipped in the last quarter of 2011 – an even more impressive feat when you consider the Kindle Fire was only just released in the second half of the quarter.
For the three-month period, IHS says the Kindle Fire will grab a 13.8% market share in the media tablet market. That blows away the current #2 position holder, Samsung, which will only reach 4.8%.
Of course, Apple is still way on top in the entire tablet category, with the iPad taking nearly 66% of the market, but the Kindle Fire is biting away at that lead in ways some of the most veteran consumer electronics companies have been unable to.
“Nearly two years after Apple Inc. rolled out the iPad, a competitor has finally developed an alternative which looks like it might have enough of Apple’s secret sauce to succeed. Initial market response strongly suggests that Amazon, with the Kindle Fire, has found the right combination of savvy pricing, astute marketing, accessible content and an appropriate business model, positioning the Kindle Fire to appeal to a brand-new set of media tablet buyers. The production plans make it clear that Amazon is betting big on the product,” said IHS senior manager Rhoda Alexander.
