The Kindle Fire Did Not Affect iPad Sales

Amazon’s Kindle Fire was expected to have a detrimental effect on Apple’s iPad sales leading up to the Christmas season, but according to the company’s CEO, that isn’t actually how it panned out.

During Apple’s quarterly earnings call yesterday, new CEO Tim Cook shared that he has been keeping a close eye on iPad sales since the release of Amazon’s competing product just in case it managed to take a bite out of Apple’s sales.

According to Cook, that didn’t actually happen. In fact, the Kindle Fire didn’t affect iPad sales at all

Just to be sure that Amazon’s $199 tablet was not cannibalising iPad sales, Cook says he has been watching the iPad’s sales figures on a week-by-week  basis, with no change that he could see.

Many had expected Apple’s iPad to feel a chill after Amazon’s Kindle Fire was released, mainly due to its low price. As has been speculated however, it appears that those who wanted to buy an iPad still are doing, with those on a more limited budget plumping for Amazon’s product.

We’ll see whether the Kindle Fire begins to affect iPad sales over the coming months, but we suspect that if it was going to happen, it would have already.

[BGR]