Report: iPad Already Viewed as Kindle Replacement

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kindle_color

Okay, maybe Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster should have stuck with his original estimate of 200,000 to 300,000 iPads sold over the weekend. Still, his interviews of iPad buyers revealed some interesting points – such as the number of Kindle owners in line to buy Apple’s new gadget.

Indeed, 58 percent of iPad owners who also have a Kindle, said they’d drop the Amazon e-reader in favor of the new tablet device. Another interesting tidbit from Munster’s survey: 10 percent of those in line Saturday to buy an iPad had considered purchasing a Kindle.


The survey also lent some credence to the camp warning the iPad could snatch not just hardware sales from Amazon, but e-book sales, as well. Munster found 38 percent of iPad buyers intend to use the device for reading.

How can Amazon counter the iPad allure? Some suggest the Seattle, Wa.-based online bookseller forget going toe-to-toe with Apple on features, but concentrate on another eternal factor attracting consumers: price. If the Kindle’s price dropped to $149, for instance, consumers might overlook the iPad’s sexiness and all the media hype. However, at $259, consumers will consider the price only a short step from buying an iPad.

[via All Things Digital]

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