I just heard last night that Amazon sold more e-books on Christmas Day than real books. At first I was truly surprised, but after about five seconds of thought, I realized they obviously sold more because so many people received a Kindle for Christmas. And those excited recipients wanted to download several books so they could check out their new devices.
“E-Books Beat Regular Books on Xmas” at InformationWeek also says Kindle is the most gifted item ever on Amazon. While its popularity is skyrocketing, The Business Insider says Amazon hasn’t yet ironed out the economic issues associated with the Kindle. In the article, “Kindle Milestone: Amazon Sold More Kindle Books Than Physical Books On Xmas,” it says the company loses about $1 per Kindle book because it loses money on new releases and makes only a small amount on older titles.
I have no idea how much they make on the actual devices. I guess it could be enough to balance out the loss on the books.
Tech Dirt says the fact that Amazon sold more e-books than regular books on Christmas Day is meaningless, and it says that purchasing an e-book is more like renting a book because Amazon can make the e-book disappear from your Kindle. (Although the company has promised not to do this again, it is possible.)
Apparently, Sony’s e-readers and Barnes and Noble’s nook were also popular gifts this year because their sites were down Christmas Day, swamped by the overwhelming number of requested downloads.
I can vouch for the increased popularity of electronic reading devices. Although I don’t have one myself, I’ve seen it go from an expensive novelty to a “must-have” device in my circle of friends. When it came out in 2007, I knew one person who owned one, but now I’d guess that 1/4 of my book club friends have one or they enjoy the iPhone app.
I’m not totally convinced I need one yet, but I am intrigued. I have only heard rave reviews from my Kindle-owning friends, so it’s probably just a matter of time. I also snubbed facebook in the beginning and promised myself I would never tweet before finally caving to the cultural pressure. I even remember thinking, ‘Will I really use this BlackBerry?’
I guess there’s no use in making promises I can’t keep about the Kindle.
I was one of those folks that received a Kindle for Christmas and quickly downloaded a book on Christmas Day. It was a surprise to receive since I hadn’t asked for it, or even really thought I needed it. I used the iPhone app, which I can honestly say doesn’t even touch the real thing. Just finished up my first book on it this morning. Now I don’t feel like I have to ‘stock up’ on books when I go to the big city – they are all at my fingertips!
What a nice Christmas surprise, Shelly! And I do like the idea of having access to a book instantaneously. It seems like I’m always scrambling for book club selections at the last minute. Either I’ve waited too late to order a used one from Amazon or I don’t have time to make the trek to an actual bookstore. I try to use the library, too, but often the book is already checked out or I have to return it before I’m finished. At least with a Kindle or any other e-reader, I could get a book the instant I thought about it … even if it was the middle of the night!