When Amazon launched the Kindle Fire, many people were a bit sneering at the tablet. Only 7 inches in size, lacking a UMTS module, extremely strong connectivity and integration with Amazon services, and technically uninnovative – it was an entry-level tablet for the couch. However, the Kindle Fire was available at the unbeatably low price of $199 (around €150).
But many saw the Amazon Kindle Fire as the only serious competitor to the iPad. And to some extent, it seems to have become that, at least in the US. Elsewhere, the online retailer’s tablet isn’t available due to a lack of the necessary infrastructure. Above all, it has become a serious competitor to other Android tablets.
Amazon Kindle Fire dominates the Android market.
The Kindle Fire’s market share among Android tablets is 54.4 percent. This means that since the end of February, the Amazon tablet has displaced the Samsung Galaxy Tab from the top spot among the most popular tablets, as mentioned, all of this refers to the US market. Compared to December 2011, the market share has almost doubled. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is a distant second with 15.4 percent, followed by the Motorola Xoom with seven percent.
iPad is still ahead overall
If you look at the entire tablet market, not just Android tablets, the iPad is still far ahead, with around 55 percent. However, the Kindle Fire still manages to take second place, even though exact figures aren’t available. It will most likely stay in second place, as analysts expect the tablet market to be dominated by Apple’s iPad for years to come.
The Amazon Kindle Fire is coming to market with a heavily modified version of Android, has a connection to the in-house Amazon App Store instead of the Google Play Store, and is generally heavily geared toward the use of Amazon services. The low price is supposed to be offset by the fact that Kindle Fire users also use Amazon services, thus bringing money back into the online retailer’s coffers.