Amazon rumored to have sold 240,000 Kindles
By Nilay Patel 
posted August 1st 2008 8:23PM
posted August 1st 2008 8:23PM
Amazon's been pretty cagey with Kindle sales numbers, except to say that it sold out the first batch in 5.5 hours and that more are finally arriving. Still, you can't keep a secret forever, and TechCrunch says they have it on good authority that Bezos and Co. have sold some 240,000 Kindles since November. Adding it all up, that's good enough for $100M in total revenue so far -- which is about what Wall Street's been predicting. Of course, that's chump change compared to the $1B annual business some analysts think Kindle can be, but you gotta start somewhere -- and a quarter-mil out the gate in the first year ain't bad at all.
same, and i think this would get a larger audience if it had color. i think comic fans would love this, as i would as well.
@matt.
For what this thing costs, I should be able to use it for more than just reading a black and white book. Remember when the iPod didn't have video and Jobs said that people didn't watch videos on their portable players. Then he felt the pressure and now all iPods play videos and iTunes has sold millions of videos. Same thing here with the Kindle. I want my $250 investment do to more than just show me black and white graphics. Give me the ability to look at my pictures in color as well. Why not? $250 it still $250. And $250 it still a lot of money.
Low-priced color e-ink just isn't a realistic expectation. Give it 3 years then maybe, but not before that.
Have you ever driven to the library, only to find that the book you want is not there?
Not with Kindle. You can even review the book when you want to...for free. No gas, no tolls, no problem. Buy one if you like to read, or go to the library and come home empty handed and a few dollars short.
If the thing wasn't so damn expensive, I'd probably be in line for on of these. Oh well...
and... reply.
First to say the Kindle really needs to succeed. I believe the future of e-books are inexorably linked with the Kindle's success.
Publishers look to it as a metric for whether or not people actually want e-books... and even understand the advantages of e-Ink. If the Kindle fails, publishers will just say nobody wants to read ebooks, and given their fears of piracy, they'll just bail on the whole ebook idea all together.
Amazon's done a great job with the Kindle. The ONLY thing they need to do is put away the ugly stick and design a nice looking v2.0, something that's as artistic as the Sony Reader.
-Pie
I'll admit... I'm surprised. I felt this was just a transition technology... you know, "oh, that's nice, we'll wait for the REAL thing."
I seriously think who ever buys hundreds of books on a kindle, or regular books in general, and read them a couple hours everyday have toooooo much time on their hand. Also I seriously don't understand how one can subscribe to membership like B&N and buy hundreds of dollars on novels to read.
You think people who read have too much time on their hands?!?! You act as though reading is a bad thing. I often wish I had 2-3 hours more a day (as in a 26-27 hour day) just so I can have have dedicated reading time. I seriously have to question the intelligence of anyone who would challenge the importance of reading - though you could be one of those morons who I hear say crap like "reading is for rich people".
If you spent less time online talking to your imaginary friends you might have time to read.
yea...because hanging out with friends makes me have no life. Also, I have better things to do like volunteer at the animal shelter or learn html. Do you really think reading (in spare time) 10 books a month improve your intelligence? 3 is enough in my opinion. I have to wonder, are you guys out of college? Is that why you have so much time on your hand?
That is pretty amazing, if true. Selling a quarter of a million of any tech device over $350 is no mean feat, esp. something as niche as the Kindle. Amazon has to be thrilled.
Why is there so much hate towards the Kindle? Some of these comments are downright disturbing.
What's a 'kindle?'
"Zed"?
Zed's dead baby, Zed's Dead"
LMAO, U got roasted for that "1st post", don't worry. We've all been there once i think. LOL
So now we know, there are at least 240,00 idiots in the world
i assume you are one of them
you just made it 240,001
@z0phi3l
Actually, it's probably more accurate to deduce that there are at least 240,000 people in the US that actually read, despite what his Jobness thinks.Maybe Jobs thinks he's the only one that can read and is planning a gold plated paper thin eBook reader just for himself called the iRead.
My Kindle rocks.
If you disagree then you are dumb and I win at the internet.
First to what? Get lowest ranked?
If the Kindle dies then it's not yet time for dedicated e-book readers. It'll undoubtedly stay a niche product for a long time. I would think a more versatile device would be needed to have those readers see more widespread usage. It should at least be able to browse the internet or play games or something. Lack of color is, well, downright annoying in the day and age.
Steffen, it doesn't seem that you read a lot. The Kindle DOES browse the Internet. The screen is E-Ink. Current technology in E-Ink precludes the fast response that playing games requires and color versions are still in early prototype stage.
This is a device that is optimized for reading books. It does not compromise that function by trying to do too many other things.
By analogy, my phone has a camera but the quality is inherently limited by the size of lens that you can fit into that form. It is convenient for quick snaps, but when I want to really take a photo, I bring out my Canon.
Use the right tool for the right job.
Kindle ! I think they asked some Aussie consultancy about what to call the new product and they replied by phone " it lights up right? lets call it a candle"
Would have been a good joke if it actually lit up. E-ink isn't backlit.
240,000? I just sold my 240,001st Kindle. Turns out the secret is peanut butter. At any rate, in your face Amazon and literacy!
Amazon needs to use their clout and screw the textbook companies into doing all their stuff digitally. I work for a community college, and some of the 3-credit hour courses have a text/workbook combo that costs more than the course.
'Big textbook' will never allow that to happen.
A problem with eBooks is that it's difficult to takes notes on them. It's much easier to use sticky notes, highlighters, etc. on physical textbooks.
I own the Sony reader and love it for casual reading. I really want Kindle (which came out after Sony's) because of Amazon's digital library and its wireless download from virtually anywhere. But I want to get a few more miles out of my Sony... and just maybe there will be rumblings of a K2.0... although that doesn't seem likely this year.
cant they make something better looking...
and Apple rumoured to have sold 1 million iPhones.
... and this relates to the Kindle how? I'm fairly sure people are buying the iPhone for a reason other than its ebook "capabilities."
I am another satisfied Kindle owner and after 6 months of use I have read dozens of books but all free and yes there are lots as in thousands available for free if you just look. This means for me I am money ahead and I have bot had to drive to get to a library just download and go. If I hade to chose between my Cell phone or my Kindle It would be a easy win for the Kindle.
Amos
Bought two of them; one for me, one for my wife. Has changed the way we read, have been buying and just getting a lot more to read (including free books; there's lots and lots of classics available via Feedbooks.com and others, don't buy them @ Amazon). Sorry I didn't get it sooner.
And, much like how I got my wife an iPod that first Christmas it was available (5GB! Wow! You'll never fill it up!) I'll get future iterations as a need/desire arises for them.
Kudos to Amazon for perhaps finally mainstreaming the eBook reader.
Has anyone seen one of these things in the wild? Hell, I work in Seattle next to Amazon and have still yet to see one.. 240k? I think not.
I'll admit it. I'm one of the 240k dorks that bought one.. And I use it daily, spend too much on books in general, and love it!
MyridoM
Who are you calling a dork?! =D
I actually bought two. One for my wife and one for my our son. It was to help them with their English (Their first language is Thai). I load them up with books and then the matching Audible.com selection.
That way they can listen to the words as they read it helping them improve pronunciation in English.
Also the built in dictionary and search features help them a lot.
All in all I think it was a much better investment of my money than the ESL classes I started them in. And they are both much happier using the Kindle when they have some free time than trying to make it to some class at the university.
I do agree the thing is major FUGLY (Amazon needs to do a deal with some designers from Apple) and the price is still too high. If they could cut it to about half then it would be a great product.
I look at the Kindle and eBook as first gen stuff, like the Apple Newton and Palm 1. Give it another 5 years or so.
i personaly prefer a good old fashioned book and a comfortable chair to sit in and relax with the book why can you all do the same best way
Love the Kindle, but I have yet to see another person use one... and I live in NYC =\
I WOULD like a Kindle type of reader, but as usual they do not support all the formats that are out there.
It's the main reason I am looking at the EEE1000H, I know it is overkill but it also means that I can read at night, surf if I feel like it and am not limited to any propriety format.
Add that it can also be used to read cbr (comics)... and the extra is worth it.
The only downside is that the battery life is not NEAR the same, but I can get extras.
240K Kindles sold?
They have got to be kinding me!