Six Million Kindle Fires Sold in 2011? It Could Happen.
Amazon’s going to sell a lot of Kindle Fires this year, and even more the next — despite the criticism being leveled at the device.
Goldman Sachs expects Amazon to sell six million Fires by the end of the year. And it figures the Kindle creator will sell between 15.5 million and 20.5 million during the tablet’s first full year of availability.
Surprising? Goldman says it shouldn’t be. Such rapid adoption proves the Fire has found another sweet spot in the tablet market.
“With the ability to consume all forms of media, at a price of $199, Amazon’s Kindle Fire has provided a legitimate tablet device to a crowd that is more price conscious versus the significantly more expensive iPad or couldn’t justify the spend as they already owned a laptop and a smartphone,” analyst Heather Bellini writes. “Further, the price point, in our belief, is below the threshold to be thought of as a major purchase and is suitable for gifts.”
One last point worth noting: If Amazon does manage to sell six million Fires before the end of the year, it will surpass the iPad’s domestic sales in its first December quarter in 2010.