The last few weeks there have been many rumors suggesting that Apple are almost ready to launch its next version of the iPad. In the meantime Amazon released the Kindle Fire that provided consumers in the US a much cheaper alternative. Now there is news that the Kindle Fire may have hurt iPad sales during the tail end of 2011.
Amazon’s tablet PC saw strong sales after it was launched, and according to The Guardian this had led Tavis McCourt of Morgan Keegan, to lower his estimates of iPads sold during the fourth quarter. He now believes that Apple sold 13 million units instead of 16 million.
McCourt though has raised his estimates for the amount of iPhones Apple managed to sell during the same period, which was believed to be 29 million up from 27 million. It is thought that Apple will now report revenues of $37.9 billion, which is slightly down from previous forecasts but still a record for the company.
Meanwhile rival Samsung is thought to have managed to sell 35 million smartphones during the quarter, which is a new record for the industry. Samsung is expected to report guidance for the quarter this coming Friday.
Estimates for sales of the iPad were lowered by McCourt following news from Amazon that it sold between 4 million and 5 million Kindle Fire’s. This could mean that Apple lost between 1 and 2 million in sales of the iPad to the Fire.
While it looks like being Apple’s best ever quarter for the iPhone the company is still a way behind what Samsung has shifted. It has to be remembered though Apple does have far less handsets on offer compared to Samsung.
Some consumers may have been putting off buying an iPad late last year though with all the talk of a new model coming early in 2012. As we reported before there is rumors that Apple could offer a cheaper version of the iPad this time round.
Did you purchase a Kindle Fire?
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