Amazon has added another million Kindle Fire tablets to its initial order, bringing the first shipment up to five million units. This is the second increase since the Fire was unveiled in September. The initial order was for 3.5 million units, but the Kindle Fire has seen strong pre-order numbers.
On November 8, Amazon announced that the Fire, along with the new Kindle Touch, will appear in 16,000 U.S. retail stores on November 15. Amazon’s profits were down last quarter while it invested in these big moves, and it’s now set for a big turnaround this holiday season.
For comparison, Apple’s iPad shipped 14.8 million units in its first three quarters of sales. The Kindle Fire is one of the most anticipated new tablet launches since the iPad, so the comparison is tempting. The 7″ Amazon device is really in a different category, but 26% of likely Fire buyers are delaying purchase of an iPad to see how the Fire turns out.
The real contender with the Fire is the new Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, which was announced on November 7. These two devices are the same size, have competing specs, and they’re both targeting consumers who want a device oriented toward media consumption.
Are you getting any new gadgets over the holidays?
