26% of Potential Kindle Fire Buyers Delaying iPad Purchase

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Amazon is gearing up for the release of its Kindle Fire Android tablet in the next few days. With the Kindle Fire and other Kindle devices being available for order online or through retail stores, potential buyers are reportedly holding off on other tablet purchases for now.

Will the Kindle Fire be a serious threat to the dominance of the iPad? Or will it be just another device thrown into the mix of an already fragmented platform of Android smartphones and tablets? It seems that for a quarter of potential tablet buyers, at least, the Kindle Fire is casting some doubt on the viability of the iPad 2 as an option.

A survey conducted by RBC among 2,600 early adopter types has found out that 5% of these early adopters are interested with the Amazon Kindle Fire and have either pre-ordered their tablet or are planning to buy one once released. This is said to be higher than the representative figure interested in the iPad when it launched in 2010 (4%). Further, 26% of the 5% interested Kindle Fire buyers said they will postpone or put off buying an iPad, which can be attributed to their interest in Amazon’s Android tablet.

However, this comes with a caveat. Analyst Mike Abramsky says the Kindle Fire will need a sustained level of buzz in order to matter in the market. This will be dependent on consumer and reviewer reactions to the Fire’s user experience. As such, Amazon will need to satisfy the market in terms of the Kindle Fire’s capabilities, and its promise to deliver Amazon content in an easy-to-use and reasonably-priced package.

Have you pre-ordered your Kindle Fire? Have you held off on purchasing another brand tablet when you heard about the Amazon Kindle Fire?