Kindle Fire outselling iPad this holiday season

We knew Amazon had a hit on its hands with the Kindle Fire, but to prove the point they just released a very impressive sales update: the $199 tablet is selling at a rate of a million units a week. Even more impressively, they have managed to meet all of that demand, letting consumers purchase it without wait throughout the holiday shopping season.

The iPad 2 also moved a million units in its first week, but Apple had trouble meeting demand after that. The original iPad sold well, but not anywhere near this rate. Of course the Kindle Fire is much less expensive then an iPad, but it’s even outpacing the $150 Kinect launch last year, which was the fastest-selling consumer electronic device in history.

The sales numbers are apparently not the “flash in a pan” variety, as Amazon reports that demand has grown each week. Even if they were to hold steady for the next several weeks they should surpass the 8 million units Microsoft sold within 60 days of the Kinect’s launch.

Amazon may be taking a small hit on each device they sell, but the Kindle Fire is a permanent portal to Amazon’s retail empire. They have to be thrilled at the prospect of millions of consumers purchasing a device that will sell Amazon music, movies, books, and more to them for years to come.

source: Amazon via Tech Crunch