Demand for Kindle Fire collapses as Apple's iPad continues to dominate

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 61
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tundraboy View Post


    I figure two scenarios are typical of Kindle Fire purchases.


     



     


    Or parents are looking for a device to entertain the kids with video, books and games and pick the Kindle over the iPod Touch.


     


    IMHO rumors for the iPad Mini are actually those for a larger updated iPod Touch.  Which I would have purchased over the Fire but is even slower than the Fire and smaller for viewing.  


     


    The only think the Fire needs to do for me is run netflix, amazon video, simple games and light web browsing.  For that it works well.

  • Reply 22 of 61
    ted13ted13 Posts: 65member


    I certainly get why people buy the Fire: very cheap price, Amazon ecosystem, etc.  But the customer satisfaction ratings on the Samsung Galaxy Tab are every bit as bad as those for the Fire, and it is more expensive to boot.  Who are the people buying it?  And if they are Android fans/Apple haters why are the customer satisfaction ratings so low -- wouldn't they stand by their Android device come hell or high water?  I am genuinely curious.

  • Reply 23 of 61
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    ted13 wrote: »
    I certainly get why people buy the Fire: very cheap price, Amazon ecosystem, etc.  But the customer satisfaction ratings on the Samsung Galaxy Tab are every bit as bad as those for the Fire, and it is more expensive to boot.  Who are the people buying it?  And if they are Android fans/Apple haters why are the customer satisfaction ratings so low -- wouldn't they stand by their Android device come hell or high water?  I am genuinely curious.

    There's still a lot of FUD being spread about Apple. People are being told not to buy it because of the closed ecosystem or because Apple isn't a 'green' company or because Apple product are toys or for lots of other reasons. Some people fall for that and end up buying competitors' products - only to find themselves disappointed.
  • Reply 24 of 61
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    There's still a lot of FUD being spread about Apple. People are being told not to buy it because of the closed ecosystem or because Apple isn't a 'green' company or because Apple product are toys or for lots of other reasons. Some people fall for that and end up buying competitors' products - only to find themselves disappointed.


    Yes, that and all those Chinese workers that get exploited by Apple that leads them to commit suicide, all those US jobs that Apple won't bring back, the overheating-gate, the 4G-gate, the size gain-gate, the weight gain-gate.... what am I missing?image

  • Reply 25 of 61
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member


    I wonder what % of people who have owned BOTH an iPad AND a Samsung or Fire, would say they are satisified with the non-iPad!


     


    An iOS knock-off, be it tablet or phone, is a pretty cool thing (better than the iPhone 1.0 we once loved for sure) if you don’t know what you’re missing.

  • Reply 26 of 61
    xero910xero910 Posts: 41member

    Quote:


    ChangeWave asked consumers about the prospect of Apple releasing an "iPad mini," and found that 14 percent of those polled said they are "somewhat likely" to buy such a device, while 3 percent said they are "very likely." The research firm said those numbers are "highly encouraging" for Apple.



    Am I reading this right? How is 14% and 3% “highly encouraging”?

  • Reply 27 of 61


    I wouldn't be surprised if Apple releases a 7" tablet...and brands it as an iPod Touch, not as an iPad.


     


    That would instantly devalue all of the 7" iPad competitors in the market.

  • Reply 28 of 61
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member


    BUT BUT BUT All the media pundits, analysts, and Apple haters were telling us that Apple MUST respond to this Kindle fire threat or they'd be screwed. As predicted, a big bang then a fizzle like all these other ipod/iPhone/iPad killers. 

  • Reply 29 of 61
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sunspot42 View Post

    I wouldn't be surprised if Apple releases a 7" tablet...and brands it as an iPod Touch, not as an iPad.


     


    This post hit me with a powerful wave of deja vu. I'm not sure why.

  • Reply 30 of 61
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheShepherd View Post


    I would like to know, out of the 2893 persons sampled, how many actually are planning on buying a tablet.



    good point, this was not a statistically sound survey. 


     


    but I think it was also something of a 'no sheet, sherlock' if you look at the various articles about sales etc. the Fire is still in the early days and frankly it's not that awesome. That they released a device that requires you to be logged in to access your media, doesn't ask for a password to buy something and had zero parental restriction controls was a huge mistake. One that is going to leave a serious bad mark on their rep for a while. It could be another year or two before they get any real change in fortune on this gig. If they keep going that long. They should have started with what it initially sounded like it was going to be, a device for their media like a Super Kindle. Even Apple started small in the end by releasing the iPhone before the iPad. 

  • Reply 31 of 61
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by williamh View Post


    I think the stats on the Kindle Fire and other smaller tablets would cause Apple to rethink any plans for a mini iPad.  I suspect the rumored device is nothing more than a contingency plan that Apple will never implement unless they have to.


     



     


    I agree on the first, disagree on the second. Apple has never played "what are the other boys doing" and that is one Steve thing I think that will stick. Any less than 10 inch iPad was a prototype. That's all. It will never been released. And Apple isn't holding it as a back up plan in case someone else goes big with a smaller device. Again, not their style. 


     


    Now might Apple up the size of the iPod touch to say a 5-6" range, still using iphone/ipod apps. Sure they might. And will folks go around all "Steve Jobs lied, that's a 7 inch iPad" sure they will. Because they are waiting for someone to prove yet again that Steve lied. 

  • Reply 32 of 61
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    BUT BUT BUT All the media pundits, analysts, and Apple haters were telling us that Apple MUST respond to this Kindle fire threat or they'd be screwed. 



     


    And they did. By doing nothing different. And it worked. Apple's iPad is soaring to the skies (literally if you are flying in Singapore or Australia on the right airlines). 


     


    Meanwhile . . .


     


    kindlebirdcage.png

  • Reply 33 of 61
    sqezesqeze Posts: 2member


    I doubt the sales of the Kindle Fire have collapsed - if they had, Amazon would be selling them world-wide to shift stock, instead of just the USA. 

  • Reply 34 of 61
    luxom3luxom3 Posts: 96member


    FWIW - take this assessment with a grain of salt... a couple of things to consider...


     


    1. When's the last time you SAW an ad (TV/Web/etc) for an iPad and the Kindle Fire


    2. Apple LOST marketshare to Amazon video in ONE YEAR (2010 - Apple have 70%+, 2011 - 30%+... Amazon 1% 2010, now 40% in 2011).


     


    If you look at total gross unit sales, the Kindle is a success and with Amazon bitch-slapping Apple on video content delivery, it's only a matter of time before iPad sales reach an apex.



    I see this happening right around the holidays this year as Windows 8 rolls in.

     


    And Apple dominance at the $499 price point *may* be threatened with the new crop of faster, cooler tablets (android/Windows)... because they'll be coming in at $299 and $399... and people WILL question, are they really getting any more value at $499? versus $299 or even $199?



     


     




     


     

  • Reply 35 of 61
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by LuxoM3 View Post


    FWIW - take this assessment with a grain of salt... a couple of things to consider...


     


    1. When's the last time you SAW an ad (TV/Web/etc) for an iPad and the Kindle Fire


    2. Apple LOST marketshare to Amazon video in ONE YEAR (2010 - Apple have 70%+, 2011 - 30%+... Amazon 1% 2010, now 40% in 2011).


     


    If you look at total gross unit sales, the Kindle is a success and with Amazon bitch-slapping Apple on video content delivery, it's only a matter of time before iPad sales reach an apex.



    I see this happening right around the holidays this year as Windows 8 rolls in.

     


    And Apple dominance at the $499 price point *may* be threatened with the new crop of faster, cooler tablets (android/Windows)... because they'll be coming in at $299 and $399... and people WILL question, are they really getting any more value at $499? versus $299 or even $199?



     


     




     


     




     


    Hilarious post, will read again. This 'It's only a matter of time until i-Product reaches apex'  and 'just wait until product X' line is such a horrible, horrible cliche that history proves to be idiotic every single time it's uttered. 

  • Reply 36 of 61
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    sqeze wrote: »
    I doubt the sales of the Kindle Fire have collapsed - if they had, Amazon would be selling them world-wide to shift stock, instead of just the USA. 

    I'm not sure I agree with that wholeheartedly but I do like your thinking here and your rationale makes sense. Welcome to the forum. Please continue to think outside the box.

    slurpy wrote: »
    Hilarious post, will read again. This 'It's only a matter of time until i-Product reaches apex'  and 'just wait until product X' line is such a horrible, horrible cliche that history proves to be idiotic every single time it's uttered. 
    I love how he has Amazon with 1% of the tablet market in 2010 despite not having a tablet until the end of 2011.
  • Reply 37 of 61
    island hermitisland hermit Posts: 6,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Sqeze View Post


    I doubt the sales of the Kindle Fire have collapsed - if they had, Amazon would be selling them world-wide to shift stock, instead of just the USA. 



     


    The Fire is a video content device... Amazon video content to be specific.


     


    They wouldn't be able to offer video content outside of the US (I suppose they could but it would cost them more than the device is worth to set up the infrastructure).

  • Reply 38 of 61
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member


    Though it's a familiar area for angst (5? 4s? OMG!!!!!) I don't actually get it. Look at the lineup: Touch, Phone, Pad... they all look the same (do the "Samsung lawyer" test: line them up at a distance and try and pick them out....). That's because, IMHO, they ARE all the same on a fundamental level., variations on a theme. So a 7 inch iWhatever will be more of that same theme. And as a horsepower fan I'd prefer a 7 inch whatever with the internals of the current iPad, or higher. Oh and for somewhat more convenient portability than a pad, though less than a phone, the 7 would be a nice addition for those like myself that want more readability than the phone provides in a more portable package.


     


    [YodaVoice] There is no Touch, iPhone or iPad: only APPLE. [/YodaVoioce]

  • Reply 39 of 61
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





     People are being told not to buy it because of the closed ecosystem


    Meanwhile that's one of the key advantages!


     


    Besides, consumers *are* actually choosing closed ecosystems. Apple's success has proven the closed, controlled ecosystem's landslide superiority when it comes to User Experience. 

  • Reply 40 of 61
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    luxom3 wrote: »
    FWIW - take this assessment with a grain of salt... a couple of things to consider...

    1. When's the last time you SAW an ad (TV/Web/etc) for an iPad and the Kindle Fire
    2. Apple LOST marketshare to Amazon video in ONE YEAR (2010 - Apple have 70%+, 2011 - 30%+... Amazon 1% 2010, now 40% in 2011).

    If you look at total gross unit sales, the Kindle is a success and with Amazon bitch-slapping Apple on video content delivery, it's only a matter of time before iPad sales reach an apex.

    Really? If Kindle is such a success, why do all reports say that sales plummeted after the first of the year?

    And, btw, it will be interesting to see where you came up with Amazon having 40% of the tablet market for 2011. if you're going to make up numbers, why not make up something believable? Heck, if you want to make up numbers, why not say Amazon had 250% of the market in 2011. Why not a gazillion percent?

    luxom3 wrote: »
    And Apple dominance at the $499 price point *may* be threatened with the new crop of faster, cooler tablets (android/Windows)... because they'll be coming in at $299 and $399... and people WILL question, are they really getting any more value at $499? versus $299 or even $199?

    Funny, that's what everyone has been saying since the iPad first came out. The figures cited in this article say that it hasn't happened yet. Please wake me up when it happens.

    And feel free to tell me where I can buy a 'faster, cooler tablet" for $299.

    sqeze wrote: »
    I doubt the sales of the Kindle Fire have collapsed - if they had, Amazon would be selling them world-wide to shift stock, instead of just the USA. 

    Other than, of course, the fact that the boxes contain power adapters for US power. And the fact that electronic devices need approval before being sold in most other countries.

    BTW, your doubt about Kindle Fire sales dropping isn't of any interest. What EVIDENCE do you have? Most published reports say that sales dropped dramatically after the first of the year. The most favorable (for Amazon) report I've seen said that sales 'only' dropped by 50%. Most of them say that sales dropped by 75% or more.
    http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/05/amazons-kindle-fire-sales-fizzle-in-2012-market-share-slips-to-third.php
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