Amazon's Kindle Fire will be the second best-selling tablet

[jordiqui]

Analysts believe that Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet will become the second best-selling tablet before the end of the year and will compete with the almighty iPad.

For show, Apple has assured that it is not at all concerned that Amazon has launched a low-cost tablet onto the market; they even believe that it will benefit iPad sales because it will contribute to increasing Android fragmentation.

The Cupertino company seems to pay much more attention to other tablets like Samsung's Galaxy Tab, however, analysts' forecasts place the Kindle Fire as the immediate pursuer of the iPad in this market.

In fact, Amazon is expected to sell 3.9 million units of the Kindle Fire during the last quarter of the year, taking almost 14% of the market in a matter of months, according to IHS iSuppli's calculations.

If these forecasts come true, Apple would continue to be the leader with 65% of the share, while Samsung would be relegated to third position with less than 5%, followed by Barnes&Noble and HTC. Analysts point out that it has taken two years since Apple launched the iPad to see a device on the market capable of posing real competition.

“The market response suggests that Amazon has found the right combination of prices, clever marketing, accessible content and business model,” explains Rhoda Alexander, analyst at IHS Suppli.