Amazon Sells - 1 Million Fire Tablets a Week

We knew that Kindle Fire was popular, but wow! For the last three weeks, Amazon has sold more than 1 million Kindle Fires each week. That’s roughly 4 million tablets a month. By comparison, the first Apple iPad sold 2 million in the first 80 days, or almost 3 months.

Success, Despite Criticisms

Amazon’s $200 tablet has seen massive sales, despite a lukewarm critical reception. Reviewers haven’t been blown away with the device, citing touch screen issues, an unwieldy user interface, and a lack of features. Most reviewers note, however, that the tablet still looks good for half the price of its only real competition.

People have clearly been clamoring for a cheap tablet that doesn’t suck. Apple’s iPad is a great device, but at its price point it is more comparable to a laptop than a netbook. And much like how netbooks saw success by undercutting the price of laptops, the Kindle Fire has seen success by undercutting the iPad.

Will it Last?

This is, of course, the holiday season. I doubt that Amazon will be able to keep these sales numbers up. But even if they plummet, they have already outsold every other android tablet on the market combined.

But there has been some trouble with the Fire. Apparently, returns of the device are much higher than Amazon was anticipating. Will the Fire last long enough to be more than a small statistical blip?

I hope so. The iPad desperately needs competition to make it improve.

The Verge Photo by : Courtney Boyd Myers