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Kindle Fire is likely most popular tablet behind iPad

Categories: Android, Tablets
By: , IntoMobile
Friday, December 2nd, 2011 at 9:02 AM
Kindle

Amazon may have a bit hit on its hands with the Kindle Fire, as a new estimate from iSuppli suggests the Amazon tablet will be the most-popular tablet in the fourth quarter behind the Apple iPad 2.

While the iPad 2 is expected to sell more than 13 million units during the fourth quarter, the Kindle Fire can be a success without even coming close to that shipping number. The report suggests that Amazon may sell up to 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets during the holiday period but it will be difficult to fact check that because Amazon never reveals the number of Kindle devices it sells.

While we generally think that the iPad 2 is a better device, we were very pleased with the Kindle Fire in our review because the Amazon tablet is quite a handy device for consuming media, using some apps and browsing the web. Just as important, the Kindle Fire costs less than half of the lowest-cost iPad, so it is the perfect device for those who want to see what all the tablet fuss is about without breaking the bank.

Samsung is expected to claim the third slot in the tablet race with its excellent lineup of Galaxy Tab devices. While the quality of the competition is getting better, the Apple iPad is still clearly in the dominant position in the tablet market.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.

  • Bstringy

    The iPad2 is great and was eager to get one when it came out. No real issues, except the known limitations of iOS and lack of integration with Google services. So my wife has commandeered it and now my sights are on the Transformer Prime. Very much looking forward to ICS and Win8 dual boot someday!

  • Drew Nusser

    I’m gonna go ahead and 2nd that about the Prime.  Especially the dual-boot part!

  • http://profiles.google.com/mediogringo Dan Carter

    There was a report that the Fire is the number one selling tablet for Best Buy.