Amazon says Kindle Fire has sold 'millions,' but won't get specific
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.
The press release declared that customers have purchased more than a million devices from the Kindle family per week for the third straight week. The Kindle Fire is joined by the standard Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Kindle Keyboard.
Amazon did state that the Kindle Fire remains the company's No. 1 bestselling product sold by the online retailer. The company said as much in late November, but still declined to release specific sales figures for the Kindle Fire.
"Kindle Fire is the most successful product we?ve ever launched ? it?s the bestselling product across all of Amazon for 11 straight weeks, we?ve already sold millions of units, and we?re building millions more to meet the high demand," said Amazon Kindle Vice President Dave Limp. "In fact, demand is accelerating -- Kindle Fire sales increased week over week for each of the past three weeks.
People are buying Kindle Fire because it's a simple, fully-integrated service that makes it easy to do the things they love -- watch movies, read books and magazines, listen to music, download apps, play games, and surf the web. Our family of Kindle e-ink readers are close behind Kindle Fire on the Amazon.com bestseller list. Customers continue to report preferring their Kindle e-reader for long-form reading, and in fact we?ve seen many customers buy two Kindles -- both a Kindle Fire and a Kindle or Kindle Touch -- this holiday season."
One estimate issued earlier this month forecast Amazon will ship 3.9 million Kindle Fire units during the holiday shopping season, securing the retailer the No. 2 tablet spot behind Apple's market dominating iPad. Amazon's entrance into the tablet market edges out Samsung, Barnes & Noble and HTC.
Some reports have suggested that the Kindle Fire has had a negative effect on iPad sales for Apple, prompting some Wall Street analysts to slightly reduce their sales projections for the fourth quarter of calendar 2011. Still, Apple is expected to set a new record for iPad sales this quarter, handily beating the 11.2 million tablets the company sold in its last quarter.
Even with indications of a strong debut for the Kindle Fire, one usability study found that Amazon's first touchscreen tablet has a "disappointingly poor user experience," particularly for Web browsing and magazine reading. In particular, usability guru Jakob Nielsen found that Amazon's proprietary Silk browser is "clunky and error-prone."
The online retailer revealed this week that Amazon is readying a software update to address criticisms that some users have shared since the Kindle Fire became available in November. While the software update will aim to fix some performance issues, it will not be able to address hardware issues related to a lack of external volume controls and poor placement of the off-switch.
The press release declared that customers have purchased more than a million devices from the Kindle family per week for the third straight week. The Kindle Fire is joined by the standard Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Kindle Keyboard.
Amazon did state that the Kindle Fire remains the company's No. 1 bestselling product sold by the online retailer. The company said as much in late November, but still declined to release specific sales figures for the Kindle Fire.
"Kindle Fire is the most successful product we?ve ever launched ? it?s the bestselling product across all of Amazon for 11 straight weeks, we?ve already sold millions of units, and we?re building millions more to meet the high demand," said Amazon Kindle Vice President Dave Limp. "In fact, demand is accelerating -- Kindle Fire sales increased week over week for each of the past three weeks.
People are buying Kindle Fire because it's a simple, fully-integrated service that makes it easy to do the things they love -- watch movies, read books and magazines, listen to music, download apps, play games, and surf the web. Our family of Kindle e-ink readers are close behind Kindle Fire on the Amazon.com bestseller list. Customers continue to report preferring their Kindle e-reader for long-form reading, and in fact we?ve seen many customers buy two Kindles -- both a Kindle Fire and a Kindle or Kindle Touch -- this holiday season."
One estimate issued earlier this month forecast Amazon will ship 3.9 million Kindle Fire units during the holiday shopping season, securing the retailer the No. 2 tablet spot behind Apple's market dominating iPad. Amazon's entrance into the tablet market edges out Samsung, Barnes & Noble and HTC.
Some reports have suggested that the Kindle Fire has had a negative effect on iPad sales for Apple, prompting some Wall Street analysts to slightly reduce their sales projections for the fourth quarter of calendar 2011. Still, Apple is expected to set a new record for iPad sales this quarter, handily beating the 11.2 million tablets the company sold in its last quarter.
Even with indications of a strong debut for the Kindle Fire, one usability study found that Amazon's first touchscreen tablet has a "disappointingly poor user experience," particularly for Web browsing and magazine reading. In particular, usability guru Jakob Nielsen found that Amazon's proprietary Silk browser is "clunky and error-prone."
The online retailer revealed this week that Amazon is readying a software update to address criticisms that some users have shared since the Kindle Fire became available in November. While the software update will aim to fix some performance issues, it will not be able to address hardware issues related to a lack of external volume controls and poor placement of the off-switch.
Comments
And what of the reports of the Fire being stolen off of people's doorsteps because the box it's in screams, "HEY, THIS IS AN AMAZON KINDLE FIRE," and since it comes preloaded with your Amazon account, the thieves are using it to buy crap with your information?
210,000 units returned.
1,432,873 units under Christmas trees, waiting to be returned.
210,000 units returned.
Oh? Do we know the return numbers so far, or are you just guessing that 210,000 figure?
I realize the rest is satire.
2,000,001 units sold.
210,000 units returned.
1,432,873 units under Christmas trees, waiting to be returned.
As much as this is based on humor, a part of me does believe there is some truth to this.
They must assume that the people they're speaking to are a bunch of fools.
Oh, wait.....
Millions of repairs.
Millions of disappointed people.
Millions of Kindle Fires on ebay in January. Price point: 99$.
=> Millions of new iPad3 buyers in spring 2012.
It's working out perfectly: Amazon introducing Millions of people to the iPad market.
As much as this is based on humor, a part of me does believe there is some truth to this.
Well, I tried a Kindle Fire... hated it, everything about it. Specially, because of the three things I tried to do I couldn't: couldn't launch an app (crash), couldn't browse the web (nothing would load), couldn't even open a freaking book.
One might say that the "demo" unit I tried was defective, and I still hope it was. However, I'm yet to try a defective "demo" iPad...
Oh? Do we know the return numbers so far, or are you just guessing that 210,000 figure?
I realize the rest is satire.
All just guesses, since Amazon isn't releasing numbers, all we can do is guess. All satirical, though I'm "guessing", not too far off.
Yes, the "already returned" and "waiting to be returned" number's are inflated/exaggerated guesses. But, I'm also adding to those numbers a fourth category... "units that people would like to return but it just isn't worth the hassle so this brick is going on the top of their obsolete and crap tech gear in the closet or sit unused on their coffee table as a $200 coaster".
I`m an iOS/Mac user own an iPad 1 and am waiting for my new iPad 2 to be delivered but I`ve been playing with the Kindle Fire at numerous stores while out Christmas shopping and think it`s a great product at the price point.
Especially if you`re already invested in Amazons environment.
I`d imagine there will be a lot of happy new Fire owners this Christmas.
The competition makes it better for the consumer.
The competition makes it better for the consumer.
Not necessarily, but even if one could make such a generalization, I'd hardly call the Fire competition for the iPad.
Therein lies my beef with the Fire. It's a cheap imposter, riding on the coat-tails of iPad frenzy, duping people into thinking they're getting something almost as good for a lot less money.
Does BMW make better BMWs because Ford sells millions of Focuses? No. But they probably try a little harder to make better BMWs because of Mercedes. That's what I'd like to see held up as competition to the iPad that might make Apple up its game... Someone to Apple what BMW is to Mercedes.
Yet, so far, not a single product hailed as an iPad "competitor" that I've held and played with has made me think for a millisecond, "wow, this thing is special, and Apple's going to have to innovate further or lower their price."
So my main question is, will Apple release a 7inch ipad before then. My guess is still no, but I would love to see it.
I think it's a good question. My guess is it won't be branded as an iPad but as an expanded iPod Touch.
Can anyone in these threads come up with at least one or two actual & verifiable examples of where competition resulted in better products. I've seen competition produce CHEAPER products. I've seen competition result in poorer products (netbooks anyone?).
Anyone? Bueller?
I think it's a good question. My guess is it won't be branded as an iPad but as an expanded iPod Touch.
I agree. Apple made no changes to the iPod touch this year. They should come up with something "magical" for next year. A 7" iPod touch with retina display and 16GB at $299 would definitely take sales away from the Kindle Fire. Even if it is a $100 more.
The vague Amazon who calls their dual touch tablet for multitouch will also be extremely vague when it comes to revealing their sales numbers, and I wrote that even if they only sold two million, they will say "millions".
Oh? Do we know the return numbers so far, or are you just guessing that 210,000 figure?
I realize the rest is satire.
Consumer electronics basic statistics is a ~10% return rate during the Xmas shopping season. Although I read and article in this mornings paper that reported an ~15% spot return rate this shopping season based on current flow thrus to a couple refurbishment companies that do business with WalMart and Best Buy. I think they called it the Black Friday Hangover.