Amazon.com, Inc.’s latest press release, which came out last week, thanked buyers for making the Kindle Fire the company’s most successful product in history. It talked about an “exciting roadmap” of products going forward without specifying what type of electronic device would be released in the near future.

However, CEO Jeffrey Bezos’ statement also acknowledged that the original Kindle Fire is all sold out on Amazon.com.

The retail giant also disclosed that the Kindle Fire had taken up 22 percent of the U.S. tablet market, a figure it did not support with actual sales or shipment numbers. Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the current leader in tablet sales in both American and international markets – as of the second quarter of 2012, its market share was quite close to 70 percent.

Research firm IDC had recently estimated the number of Kindle Fires sold between Q4 2011 and Q2 2012, and according to analyst Thomas Mainelli, that number adds up to 6.7 million. This makes the 22 percent claim a bit unlikely.

Nonetheless, the Kindle Fire has been a game-changing device, a first among tablets as it had succeeded despite the fact it doesn’t come with high-end features like Apple’s iPad. Its price point of $199 set the stage for other low-priced slates like the Google, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Nexus 7, which is now considered the best-selling tablet in its price range.

A new Kindle Fire is expected to be unveiled this week by Amazon, although Jeff Bezos’ company may find it harder to compete; Apple may be launching and releasing the 7.85-inch iPad mini sometime in the next few months.