26% of Kindle Fire customers put iPad on hold

Customers whose attention was captured by the announcement of the Kindle Fire are now less excited about the possibility of buying an iPad, a new study has found.

Specifically, 26% of those surveyed who said they plan to buy a Kindle Fire say they are now delaying buying an iPad.

Conducted by Changewave and RBC Capital Markets, the survey included 2,600 people, 5% of whom had already pre-ordered or indicated they were “very likely” to buy a Kindle Fire right away.

When the same group performed a survey about the iPad 2 ahead of its launch, a slightly-less-impressive 4% said they were ready to buy the new Apple tablet.

Despit what some analysts and pundits have said, the Kindle Fire does pose a risk to the iPad, at least in the short term. People are talking about the Amazon tablet for the holiday season more than the iPad 2.

Granted, it’s a new and exciting product while the iPad 2 is a known quantity by now, but that attention is sure to steal some iPad customers away for the all important shopping season.

The Kindle Fire’s most direct competitor is the new Nook Tablet, which is priced similarly and appeals to the same target market. But at $200, the Kindle Fire is poised to at least shake up the tablet market a bit.