Monday, November 21, 2011

iPad Not Threatened by Kindle Fire

iPad - Kindle Fire

Research firm ChangeWave has issued the results of a new analysis according to which the new Amazon Kindle Fire is going to “leapfrog the competition and become the number two product in the tablet market.” The only requirement: “as long as the Kindle Fire can provide a quality user experience.”

Well of course that’s what it needs to do if it plans to beat other tablets! Jeesh… Talk about paying experts to do your thinking for you.

So, anyway, ChangeWave begins its plea by acknowledging that “Apple continues to show enormous strength in the tablet market, where it’s enjoying the best quarter in its history.”

Their survey, conducted on 3,043 North American consumers, reveals that two-out-of-every-three future buyers plan on purchasing an Apple iPad (65%).

“…for the first time since the launch of the original model, there is a double-digit contender for the number two spot,” says the company. “Better than one-in-five planned purchasers (22%) say they’ll buy a Kindle Fire.”

But it’s not Apple who must fear the Kindle Fire. It’s the rest of the pack that’s also trying to grab a slice of the pie as Apple retains its rock-solid lion’s share.

ChangeWave specifically states that Amazon’s 7-inch tablet will first take its toll on manufacturers like Motorola, RIM, Dell, HTC, H-P and Toshiba, “where the survey shows it wreaking a devastating blow.”

The company makes a very important note in saying that no tablet manufacturer, with the exception of Samsung (think Galaxy Tab), is enjoying more than 1% of future tablet demand among consumers.

Therefore, the Kindle Fire must provide the aforementioned “quality user experience” to make sure these figures don’t change much as it plays catch with Apple’s iPad line.

It’s a no brainer, but it’s not very easy to achieve, especially with Apple getting a year’s head start (probably more, considering that many competitors are still struggling to match the capabilities of the original iPad).