Kindle Fire and iPad sales plummet after rumors of iPad mini start to solidify - everybody wants one!
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Apple's Share of Tablet Market Surges to 68% as Kindle Fire Shipments Plummet
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Kindle Fire and iPad sales plummet after rumors of iPad mini start to solidify - everybody wants one!
Nothing like putting a little fanboy lipstick on bad news.
"Our sales sucked... just not as bad as everyone else's".
Bad news? 150% YoY increase in iPad sales and it's bad news?
I hope someone else does make a good tablet because competition improves the breed. No sign of anything to match the iPad 2 yet, never mind the new iPad.
I agree. These numbers, although great for iPad, still seem way too pessimistic for iPad. Are the measurements made truly comparing the same thing?
Every iPad that is made sells—and quickly. Very few are returned.
With other brands, there is no doubt that a far larger % of those shipped to stores never sell, or sit around and sell MUCH later. And there is no doubt that return rates are higher for them than for iPad.
I’d be amazed if, after the initial Fire surge (and buyer’s remorse), iPad TRUE sales share is under 75%. It might even be over 90, although with so many random sort-of-tablets out there, and Fire and Nook, I tend to doubt it.
I certainly see easily 10 iPads out there in users’ hands for every 1 of something else... with the 1 being various small-size e-readers (including e-ink).
Then again, that could be skewed by people actually USING their iPads, while other tablets find themselves abandoned and unused a greater amount of the time.
(Other good news for Apple: these cheap “gateway drug” tablets that leave people unsatisfied are likely creating future iPad users in a year or two!)
In a way its a shame as Apple really works best where theres competition that pushes Apple to be it's best. (I'm looking at you notifications). I really want there to be so that the iPad just gets better and better!
And just how is the Kindle Fire in any way considered competition to the iPad? How is the Kindle Fire pushing Apple to do anything? Produce an iPad mini with no camera, no 3G or 4G, no nothing? I sure hope not.
Guys, keep in mind too that the Kindle Fire is a US-only product while the iPad was released worldwide.
Before I got my iPad 3 I was very interested in buying a Kindle Fire as a "close enough for my needs, and smaller and cheaper" tablet. But I couldn't actually buy one even if I wanted to!
This doesn't explain the "plummet" in Kindle Fire sales demand but it does explain part of the reason why the numbers are so much lower than the iPad.
Before I got my iPad 3 I was very interested in buying a Kindle Fire as a "close enough for my needs, and smaller and cheaper" tablet. But I couldn't actually buy one even if I wanted to!
This doesn't explain the "plummet" in Kindle Fire sales demand but it does explain part of the reason why the numbers are so much lower than the iPad.
For people saying that Amazon's numbers are low because they main sell to US. There is a reason for that. I am not sure about Europe, but in Asia, Amazon has almost zero brand recognition. I am sure Amazon would love to sell the Kindle Fire to the Asian market but they wouldn't be about to compete with Samsung, Acer, Toshiba which are all considered bigger brand names in Asia.
The Kindle Fire was a decent concept, it just wasn't quite ready and came out of the gate with some problems.
The interface was clunky. It didn't have a way to limit purchases, meaning the user (often kids/teens) could rack up tons of 1-click charge purchases. You couldn't delete internet history (when dad tried to sneak a peek at nudie/porn pics), it had several software/firmware updates the first month making it feel unreliable, etc. It was sold as an e-reader....but the screen made it a poor e-reader compared to the regular Kindle.
The first impression of the device was bad for a lot of customers/potential customers. While Amazon worked to fix those things, a lot of people dismissed it. They lost the opportunity to gain a foothold...and it'll be really hard for them to get it back.
The interface was clunky. It didn't have a way to limit purchases, meaning the user (often kids/teens) could rack up tons of 1-click charge purchases. You couldn't delete internet history (when dad tried to sneak a peek at nudie/porn pics), it had several software/firmware updates the first month making it feel unreliable, etc. It was sold as an e-reader....but the screen made it a poor e-reader compared to the regular Kindle.
The first impression of the device was bad for a lot of customers/potential customers. While Amazon worked to fix those things, a lot of people dismissed it. They lost the opportunity to gain a foothold...and it'll be really hard for them to get it back.
Therein lies the fundamental flaw in the Kindle Fire's business model.
Amazon simply cannot afford to either refresh the Fire on anything like the iPad schedule, and when they do come out with a new model, it is unlikely to recapture the people who bought version 1.0.
For a variety of reasons the Kindle Fire will not prove to be a sustainable product. How does Amazon expect to make money if they are selling both the hardware and the content at break-even or a loss? How do they add the functionality that would tempt previous buyers to upgrade without destroying the super low-cost pricing structure?
Apple creates the perfect competitor to the Kindle Fire every time it releases a new model iPad: The "gently used" previous generation iPad, which gives the consumer far more capabilities (plus a much bigger screen) for the same price as a new Fire.
Does 'gently used' include the fact the previous user likely used it in the bathroom?
I know it's just the germaphobe in me....but I could never buy a used iPad or iPhone for just that reason....Funny how things have changes in just over 2 years. If Amazon had sold 750,000 tablets 2 years ago, no one would believe it. Remember that a lot of analysts predicted that the iPad would only sell 1M in one year when it was announced.
Now, when Amazons sells 750,000 in one qtr, it is a HUGE disappointment. Just goes to show how game changing the iPad was.
Now, when Amazons sells 750,000 in one qtr, it is a HUGE disappointment. Just goes to show how game changing the iPad was.
I've actually encountered a significant number of buyers ready to drop money money when Amazon adds a SD card slot and some sort of video out. Overall people seem pleased with it - unless they really wanted an iPad in the first place. (i also seem to read a lot about lack of external keyboard support, USB or BT).
I'd buy the Mini-iPad if it were announced - for my kids. Time will tell.
The Fire is about to go global - that will be interesting to see. If the numbers are indicative of true sales i'd expect it to be sooner than later (originally i think it was thought to be summer). There are rumors floating around about the NEXT Fire, which will be interesting.
Does 'gently used' include the fact the previous user likely used it in the bathroom?
If you knew how prevalent poop germs are, then you'd probably never go indoors anywhere ever again.
They are *everywhere*
Does 'gently used' include the fact the previous user likely used it in the bathroom?
A few months ago I watched an episode of Top Gear in which the hosts purchased old cars to test them for value, reliability, etc... They then decided that the cars should be examined by a forensics team to test the condition of their interior. Clarkson's car contained crisps leaves, and his own dried skin, which he claimed wasn't disgusting at all. May's car was in worse condition with nasal mucus, scabs and saliva. Hammond again fared the worst with saliva, blood and nasal mucus, but wait, they also found evidence of feces. So next time you buy anything that's used, well... you can be getting more than you bargained.
It would be helpful to have sources. Amazon doesn't release Kindle Fire sales data, so these are all guesses. Considering that estimates of Samsung's smartphone sales ranged from 32 million to 45 million, they seem about as accurate as throwing a dart at a wall.
Bacteria generally require someplace warm, dark, and wet to propagate. The iPad, with its anodized aluminum case, notable shortage of physical ports and buttons, and coated glass screen, is a notoriously unfriendly breeding ground for such microscopic nasties.
If you really are concerned about bacteria or other pathogens, you could gently wipe the device in question with a microfiber cloth moistened in rubbing alcohol. Or simply leave the thing in direct sunlight for an hour or so. I wouldn't put the device in your mouth, or lick the buttons - but then thats not something most people would do anyway.
There's nothing wrong with being a germophobe. The "disgust" gene is one thats helped keep humans healthy for a million years or so, by dissuading us from eating rotting food or drinking polluted water. But its best to make sure there is some real science behind your germ-avoidance strategies.
WOW.
The Fire sold well during the holidays. One could infer, based on these numbers, that people now know better. Your sales don't go from 4.8M to 750k based on seasonality alone. I'm sure the regular Kindles still do well, as they are designed for the eReader niche it's meant for, just like the Nook.
Anecdotally, both my in-laws and my parents will be purchasing or receiving iPad3's this year. Neither are early adopters, and both are very familiar with the eReader landscape. I bought my mother a nook SimpleTouch, and she uses it, but complains that it's "not Apple simple." She sees my father's iPhone and basically just wants a bigger iPhone the iPad.
The Fire sold well during the holidays. One could infer, based on these numbers, that people now know better. Your sales don't go from 4.8M to 750k based on seasonality alone. I'm sure the regular Kindles still do well, as they are designed for the eReader niche it's meant for, just like the Nook.
Anecdotally, both my in-laws and my parents will be purchasing or receiving iPad3's this year. Neither are early adopters, and both are very familiar with the eReader landscape. I bought my mother a nook SimpleTouch, and she uses it, but complains that it's "not Apple simple." She sees my father's iPhone and basically just wants a bigger iPhone the iPad.
Oh I agree with you. Only the morons out there thought the FIRE would actually make a dent in the iPad.
People just keep forgetting it's about the eco-system.
And we still don't know the return #s on them...lots of people returned their FIRES according to the tech sites back during the holidays.
Amazon has a hefty eco-system with its Prime members. People with Prime like the Fire because they can stream movies. Without paying Netflix. They can get a free book a month... and get that 2 day shipping.
I've been half tempted to get one just as an occasional Prime video viewer. If the price really drops, I just might.
Based on this I don't think so: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000719771
And yes that was for the iPad 2 and the price difference is incorrect now.
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