Amazon becomes world's number two tablet maker

Ships 3.9m Kindle Fires in Q4 behind Apple's 15.4m iPads.

The online marketplace has kept quiet on how well its debut tablet is performing, though one analyst recently suggested six million Kindle Fires had been sold in Q4.

Now, iSuppli has thrown in its figures to say Amazon shipped 3.9 million devices during the fourth quarter of 2011, securing 14 per cent of the tablet market.

Not bad at all considering the device didn't get launched until November, though if true, it has fallen short of selling the widely anticipated five million units.

However, while Apple dominated by shipping 15.4 million iPads during the quarter, its share of the tablet market fell from 64 per cent to 57 per cent, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Amazon dealt a blow to former second-place holder Samsung, which was awarded the third spot with eight per cent of the market, while Barnes & Noble secured fourth place with seven per cent.