We are all familiar with Apple’s reign atop the tablet market. They were the first to enter with the iPad, and have continued to dominate as they upgrade the device for public consumption.
Towards late 2011, the Kindle Fire started making waves. In the fourth quarter of 2011, 4.8 million Kindle Fires were shipped. The impressive sales data led to speculation that the Kindle Fire would become a relevant competitor in the tablet market. New data however is not aligning with that speculation as the number of units shipped dropped to 750,000 last quarter.
For those keeping track, Kindle Fire had 16.8% of the global market share. Now, it’s down to 4%.
[text_ad]
During this same time, Apple’s iPad market share grew from 54.7% to 68%.
There are numerous reasons why Kindle Fire may have dropped significantly. A recent article from All Things D point some of these reasons out, including a potentially large inventory of Kindle Fires, a lower price point on the iPad, and the Kindle Fire’s release during the 2011 holiday season. Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that the iPad remains the favorite tablet.
For digital publishers, creating digital content for the iPad is the best bet for reaching the largest possible audience. However, surveying your audience on the tablet device they use, and using analytics to track mobile traffic on your site will help you determine the tablet worth targeting.
