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Amazon Reports Strong Kindle Sales, Buys Audible
February 01, 2008 12:00 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Amazon, long dominant in online book sales, continues to strengthen its position in digital media.
30-Second Summary
Amazon made its name in part through its legendarily efficient system of storing and shipping physical products.
But as the entertainment media become increasingly digitalized, Amazon is moving aggressively to expand into the market for e-book readers, such as its own kindle, and audio books.
CEO Jeff Bezos said that the Kindle “is out-pacing our expectations” and Amazon is trying to increase manufacturing output to keep up with the demand.
Amazon also announced today the purchase of Audible, the leading provider of digital audio books. This move follows on the heels of Amazon’s global debut of its music download store, which offers songs that can be played on almost any digital device.
But as the entertainment media become increasingly digitalized, Amazon is moving aggressively to expand into the market for e-book readers, such as its own kindle, and audio books.
CEO Jeff Bezos said that the Kindle “is out-pacing our expectations” and Amazon is trying to increase manufacturing output to keep up with the demand.
Amazon also announced today the purchase of Audible, the leading provider of digital audio books. This move follows on the heels of Amazon’s global debut of its music download store, which offers songs that can be played on almost any digital device.
Headline Links: Amazon buys Audible
Amazon's recently introduced e-book reader, the Kindle, is selling as quickly as Amazon can produce it. In a conference call to discuss Amazon's strong fourth quarter earnings, CEO Jeff Bezos said that "The Kindle, in terms of demand, is out-pacing our expectations. It is also on the manufacturing side causing us to scramble... We are super-excited by the demand.” Bezos also acknowledged that Amazon is experimenting with some new features for Kindle.
Source: TechCrunch
In addition, Amazon today announced that it has agreed to pay $300 million to buy Audible, which is the leading provider of digital audio books, with more than 80,000 titles.
Source: Seeking Alpha
The Audible deal follows Amazon's announcements that it is selling song downloads globally that can be played on almost any digital music player, in what some observers believe is the first serious threat to Apple's iTunes.
Source: RedEye
Amazon is also selling and renting downloads of movies and television shows.
Source: Amazon
Backround: Kindle’s release
On Nov. 19, TechCrunch writer, Erick Schonfeld, provided a running commentary on his blog during the press conference for the launch of Kindle. Schonfeld wrote, “9:51: Shows the Kindle. 10.3 ounces, less than a paperback, and thinner too. Three years in the making … 9:53 We have 90,000 books you can buy right from the device … Included on are 101 of 112 New York Times bestsellers. And guess what, they are all $9.99? And guess what? They all get delivered wirelessly in less than minute.”
Source: TechCrunch
Kindle costs $399.00, and the price includes free two-day shipping from Amazon. It is available for purchase from Amazon via the findingDulcinea Bookstore.
Source: findingDulcinea Bookstore
Analysis: Publishing’s electronic future
According to Business Week, Kindle will be the iPod of books for five reasons: it solves “real problems” for consumers and readers; it represents good value for money; its smart design changes the existing product landscape; Amazon head Jeff Bezos has a proven track record as a visionary; and lastly, according to Business Week, “It’s cool.”
Source: Business Week
In his op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times, media critic William Powers asserts that e-books are a turnoff for readers. “The Kindle may turn out to be a nice convenience for travelers who don't want to lug multiple books around with them,” Powers writes. “But for everyday pleasure reading, the book still has it all over any screen. And you never have to recharge the battery.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
Opinion: The reviews
Walter S. Mossberg, a technology reviewer for The Wall Street Journal, explains that while he loves how easy it is to shop and download with Kindle, he’s not impressed with the device itself. “While it has good readability, battery life and storage capacity, both its hardware design and its software user interface are marred by annoying flaws,” Mossberg writes. “The Kindle’s six-inch screen can display only monochrome text and gray images, and there’s lag time and a flash of black every time you turn a page.”
Source: All Things Digital
Steven Levy of Newsweek writes the real test for Kindle, which it passed for him, was whether it was “capable of transporting a reader into that trancelike zone where the world falls away.” Levy concludes his review by writing, “any voluminous reader, particularly one who travels, would be delighted to receive a Kindle by the fireplace this holiday season.”
Source: Newsweek
While CNET editors rated Kindle with a 7.5 out of a possible 10, users gave the device only a 5.7 rating. Some of the good qualities identified by CNET include the following: “built-in free wireless ‘WhisperNet’ data network—no PC needed; built-in keyboard for notes; SD card expansion slot; compatible with Windows and Mac machines.” On the downside, CNET notes, “Design is ergonomic, but not very elegant; pricing for nearly all the content seems too high, especially considering the periodicals and blogs are available for free online.”
Source: CNET
PC Magazine considers Kindle’s place in the electronic book industry and concludes that the device is the “e-books best chance at getting back in the game.” Kindle gets a four out of a possible five points with PC Magazine.
Source: PC Magazine
Wired’s blog, Gadget Lab, rounds up eleven opinions and reviews. From Time magazine’s prediction that Kindle will fail because it costs too much, to Newsweek’s evaluation that Kindle is the “high point” in electronic reading thus far, the opinions show a varied response. Yet, overall, the consensus seems to be that while Kindle is the best e-book device yet, it costs too much and is too clunky to be a success.
Source: Wired
Reference: Sony Reader reviews, Project Gutenberg and Mobipocket
Sony Reader, an e-book device that was released before Amazon’s Kindle, was rated 6.8 out of a possible 10 by CNET editors and a 6 on the same scale by CNET users.
Source: CNET
Project Gutenberg calls itself the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, whose mission is “to encourage the creation and distribution of e-books.”
Source: Project Gutenberg
Mobipocket, an Amazon company, asserts that it is the leader in the e-book publishing industry, with more than 40,000 titles to choose from including novels, dictionaries and professional titles.
Source: Mobipocket
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