Amazon's Bezos Entertains; No Color Kindle Near - Page 2

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[cob:Special_Report]Bezos said the library of books compatible with the basic Kindle model has grown to 285,000 titles, and that for books available in both Kindle and in physical form, sales are now tracking at 35 percent for Kindle.

He reiterated the advantages of the Kindle's wireless delivery of books, saying that's largely why it's so successful -- and pointed out that the device's uptake has come despite the lack of a marketing budget for the device.

"It's a world-class product, and what's driving Kindle sales is word-of-mouth," he said. "That's the highest compliment that can be paid to [the design team]. Advertising is the price you pay for having unremarkable products or services."

Bezos sees the product being so remarkable that his vision for the future of Kindle includes the large-screen version -- the new Kindle DX eventually serving not only as a way for people to read literature, but to transport documents, so printing them out no longer becomes necessary.

When asked during the end of the presentation when color screens would be offered on the Kindle, Bezos struck a more down-to-earth tone about the state of the current technology.

"I know it will be multiple years," he said. "I've seen the color displays in the lab, and it's not ready for primetime. I don't know how many years, but it will be years."

Another query pertained to sights of "Amazon Fresh" trucks on the streets of Seattle. The company is currently testing food delivery in that city, though it's unclear what its next steps might be.

"It's an experiment, a test just in Seattle," Bezos said. "We need to see a combination of customer experience and financial success to expand the model, so for the foreseeable future, it's just in Seattle."

As far as expanding to China, Amazon is already delivering goods via bike messengers and allowing payment at the door to accommodate the needs of that market, he added.

"We're planting a seed for 10 years out -- in that time frame -- so if we wait five years to start, it's too late," he said. "So we're there now developing our relationships so we can enjoy those dividends one day. We bought a company there and co-branded it, and our strategy there is identical to everywhere else."