Ha! Your “Limited Function” Kindle Fire Is No Match for My Magical iPad!
How much of an effect has Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet had on iPad sales? A better question might be: Has it had any effect at all? And according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, it really hasn’t.
Asked about the Fire during an earnings call on Tuesday, Cook essentially dismissed it as a competitor.
“I looked at the data, particularly in the U.S., on a weekly basis after the Kindle Fire launch,” Cook said. “I wouldn’t say that there was an obvious effect on the numbers, plus or minus.”
So the Fire hasn’t harmed the iPad. And it hasn’t helped it by fostering additional interest in it. And as for the rest of those lower-priced tablet competitors, Cook is confident they’re not a threat to Apple’s tablet supremacy, either.
“I think people really want to do multiple things with their tablets, so we don’t see these limited-function tablets and e-readers as being in the same category as iPad,” he said. “They might sell a fair number of units, but we don’t think people who want an iPad will settle for a limited-function device.”
A gloating remark there, but recent history supports it. Apple did sell 15.43 million iPads in its first quarter, and analysts expect it to dominate the tablet market for the forseeable future.
Cook expects that, as well.
“Last year was supposed to be the year of the tablet, and I think most people would agree it was the year of the iPad for the second year in a row,” said Cook. “We’re going to continue to innovate like crazy in this area, and continue to compete with anyone that is currently shipping tablets, or that might enter in the future.”