Amazon CEO talks Kindles and horses

"I'm sure people loved their horses too but you're not going to keep riding a horse to work." -- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, when asked about how users of the Kindle e-reader might miss the feel of an actual book.

Amazon hasn't disclosed how the Kindle is selling -- the company recently dropped the price by $40 to $360 -- but Bezos said today that the Kindle nabs 6% of sales for the 125,000 titles available in both electronic and print formats. Amazon shares are down slightly today to $80.08.

Other tidbits from Bezos' talk today at a California conference:

--There will be a second Kindle, but not anytime soon. 

--The company will launch a new video-on-demand service in the next few weeks. The service will charge users for videos, which will stream instantly over the Internet. Amazon already offers a video downloading service, called Amazon Unbox. The new streaming service will compete directly with Netflix, which has been building out a similar feature for PCs and set-top boxes.

Related reading:

Amazon shares overvalued? Who cares?

Tech stock of the year: Amazon

Audible purchase pits Amazon squarely against Apple

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Comments

 

What is a Kindle?  You don't explain what it is.  Typical MSN.

Jim Nelson (Posted 11.04.08 3:15 PM) Report Abuse

I'm REALLY excited about this product, especially when new technology is created for use at the individual level.  The favorable impact on the environment could be incredible and is a great method for each person to become involved.  I'm especially excited for students at all levels - replace all those heavy books in backpacks with one light-weight tool.  And who can resist purchasing books at half the bookstore price!!  The need for change is NOW and the Kindle is a very good place to start!

Loren (Posted 11.05.08 9:39 AM) Report Abuse

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