A new survey has found that the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire, due to arrive 15 November in the US, is causing some consumers to pause for thought with regards to purchasing an iPad.

Conducted by ChangeWave and RBC Capital Markets, the survey found that 26 percent of people have been put off buying an iPad in anticipation of Amazon's latest.

With prices starting at $199 for the Kindle Fire, it makes sense that people would be more wary of the $499 priced iPad 2.

Second fiddle

The survey was conducted in October and 2,600 respondents took part. 5 percent of those have already pre-ordered a Kindle Fire, or are "very likely" to purchase one soon. This compares to 4 percent of respondents to a survey prior to the iPad 2's release who said they were likely to purchase the Apple tablet.



Analyst Mike Abramsky stated that he believes there is room for both Apple and Amazon's tablets to grow but that the Kindle Fire represents a potential near-term risk for Apple.

iPad or bust

Abramsky believes that once initial hype surrounding the Kindle Fire dies down, the iPad has enough individual features to see it continue to succeed despite new competition.

The large amount of content available on the App Store and in iTunes, the larger display, 3G connectivity and cameras will ensure the iPad remains the go-to device for a true "post-PC" experience, he argues. 

In the fiscal year 2012, Abramsky predicts Apple to sell 50 million iPad units, gaining a 54 percent year-on-year growth.

Further into the 2013 fiscal year, he predicts that growth will swell by another 30 percent, bringing the total number of units sold to 65 million.

[source: AppleInsider]