"Millions of people now own Kindles," Amazon.com
Finally! After 26 months of silence since the Kindle's launch before the 2007 holiday shopping season, the leading online retailer is willing to at least shed some light on the actual sales metrics of its revolutionary e-book reader.
Sure, all that Bezos' quote tells us is that Amazon has sold at least 2 million of its $259 devices. That's better than nothing.
It's also not much of a surprise to see Amazon talking general Kindle numbers the day after Apple
Amazon probably felt comfortable talking about Kindle's "millions" in light of another market-thumping report. The company's net sales soared by 42% to $9.52 billion, well ahead of Wall Street's $9.04 billion target. Even if we adjust for the favorable impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, net sales would still have climbed by 37% during the period. Keep that number in mind when most retailers begin posting flat top-line growth for their holiday quarters.
Did Amazon sacrifice margins to drive those sales? Of course not! Earnings soared by 71% to $0.85 a share, absolutely toasting analyst guesstimates of $0.72 a share.
The good times should continue to roll, since Amazon sees 32% to 45% net sales growth for the current quarter. And just in case investors aren't buying, the company will be. Its board has authorized a $2 billion share-repurchase plan.
As for the Kindle, Amazon isn't conceding anything to the iPad. The company isn't even tagging it as a foe. The earnings release identifies the iPad -- along with Macs and Research In Motion's
It won't be an easy fight, but in Amazon's own words, it has "millions" on its side.
Now that the iPad specs are official, will it really be a Kindle killer? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.