Source: Amazon |
As if to remind the industry the industry that amid a crop of new entrants, the Kindle still holds pole position in the e-reader market, Amazon offered an unusual glimpse into the sales of the device.
The normally cagey e-commerce giant announced today that November was a record month for Kindle sales, though it declined to divulge specific figures.
Issued this morning, Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) announcement notes that the Kindle set a monthly sales record without the benefit of the purchases that will be made today, the final day of the month. Today, of course, is the first workday after Thanksgiving, also known as Cyber Monday, and will likely be the busiest online shopping day of November.
Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon’s Kindle division, said the device is “flying off the shelves faster than any other product Amazon sells.”
The news from Amazon comes amid a flurry of new product announcements in the burgeoning e-reader sector, with each often greeted by analysts as the company’s would-be Kindle killer, acknowledging Amazon’s leadership in the market.
One of the more highly anticipated entries comes from Barnes & Noble, a chief rival of Amazon in the book business as it ramps up its Internet presence.
But whatever competition Barnes & Noble would offer Amazon this holiday season in the e-reader segment will be undermined by a product delay. Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) has been scrambling to fill orders for its Nook device dating back to its launch in October. Now, the company has said that it is sold out for the holiday season, listing an expected ship date of Jan. 4.
At the top of the Nook section on the retailer’s Web site, a banner reads, “The hottest holiday gift is out of stock. Order Nook today and be the first in line for the new year.”
The Nook is seen as a rival to the Kindle as well as Sony’s Reader, which is supported by Amazon rival Google (NASDAQ: GOOG).
Other e-readers are either confirmed or rumored to be in the works from BlackBerry, Asus and Apple (if one version of the longstanding iTablet rumors is to be believed).
Earlier this year, Forrester Research projected that e-readers would be a breakout category this holiday season. The firm forecasted that November and December would see sales of 900,000 devices, raising its estimate for the annual total from 2 million units to 3 million.
Amazon released the most recent version of the Kindle in October, priced at $259. As of this writing, the company said that the devices are in stock and available for shipping today.