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 (http://www.parksassociates.com), a market research and consulting company

The firm’s "Consumer Decision Process: Holiday Intentions" study reports 49% of broadband households intending to purchase a CE [consumer electronic] product this holiday season would chose Apple’s 9.7-inch tablet for $499, while 51% would chose Amazon’s 7-icnch 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.

"Having already established itself as the leading brand in e-readers, Amazon’s entrance into the adjacent tablet space will disrupt the market," says Tricia Parks, CEO, Parks Associates. "Amazon’s competitive pricing, combined with its considerable media and application offerings, makes the Kindle Fire a serious tablet contender, likely to scoop up market share among bargain shoppers."

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-plus 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.

"After a 10-point drop from 2009 to 2010, consumers’ overall CE purchase intentions for the holiday season are on the rebound; our data show a 21% increase in CE holiday shopping, compared with the last holiday season," Parks says. "Thanks to expanding price ranges for hot products such as tablets and game consoles, the CE industry should have a strong season."

Parks Associates’ "Consumer Decision Process: Holiday Intentions" surveyed 2,000 U.S. broadband heads-of-household in November 2011. The research measured CE purchase intentions for the holiday season as well as year-to-date CE purchases for multiple products, including computers, tablets, e-readers, Blu-ray players, and game consoles. The survey also tracks household services and multimedia subscriptions, product market share by brand, and brand image.