Amazon will most likely lower manufacturing orders for the company’s flagship tablet device Kindle Fire, by almost 50 percent during the first quarter of this year.

According to industry experts, the move could be the outcome of a gradual slowing down post holiday season sales, as well as the expected arrival of the third generation Apple iPad tablet.

Word on the street is that Apple is planning to unveil the iPad 3 some time in February, before finally launching the product in March 2012.

If the said move is actually taken, the total number of orders taken by the company will stand at somewhere around 3 million units during the quarter, reports Wireless and Mobile News.

Many analysts are saying that this could be after all, a wise decision by the company to effectively nullify all looming threats over its flagship tablet computer.

Amazon introduced Kindle Fire in Q4 last year amidst high expectations and huge anticipation all across the globe. The fact that it was made available for only $199, in comparison to Apple’s entry level $499 price, contributed immensely to the impressive sales performance shown by the device during this period.