As Black Friday looms, Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet and Apple’s iPad 2 are virtually tied among all U.S. holiday shoppers regarding their product preferences, according to new consumer research from Parks Associates.
The Consumer Decision Process: Holiday Intentions study reports 49% of broadband households intending to purchase a CE product this holiday season would chose Apple’s 9.7” tablet for $499, while 51% would chose Amazon’s 7” tablet for $199. There are important differences among key demographics, however. Consumers 45 or older prefer the Kindle Fire, while those with higher household incomes and higher education prefer the iPad. Among holiday shoppers most likely to purchase a tablet by the end of the year, the scales tip heavily in favor of the iPad, at 62%, versus only 38% choosing the Kindle Fire.
Tablets will be a hot holiday item, with 16% of U.S. broadband households intending to purchase the device. This holiday purchase intention rate places the tablet fourth, after smartphones, LCD/LED TVs, and laptops, among the 30+ CE products tested. Tablets also rank in the top one-half of CE products to be purchased as a gift. Other top gift items include digital photo frames, game consoles, Microsoft Kinect, and e-readers.
