The new generation Kindle was the biggest and fastest-selling item on leading online retailer Amazon.co.uk over the summer.
Amazon’s third-quarter results show that the latest model of the Kindle, which is lighter weight and has built-in wifi or 3G wireless, was the bestselling product on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com over the summer. “More new generation Kindle devices were ordered in the first 12 weeks of availability than in the same time frame following any other Kindle launch,” said Amazon’s financial statement. “In addition, in the 12 weeks following the introduction of the new generation of Kindles, customers ordered more Kindle devices on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk than any other product.”
Some 720,000 books are now available to buy for the Kindle, while there are also more than 1.8m free, out-of-copyright books available to read on it. Amazon has also announced a new series of Kindle Singles, which put the argument for a killer idea, from a business lesson to a scientific argument or an essay.
Amazon said that its net sales rose by 39% to $7.56bn (£4.8bn) in the quarter, the 12 weeks to September 30. At the same time last year they stood at $5.45bn (£3.5bn). Net income rose by 16% to $231m (£147.0m), up from $199m (£126.6m) last time.
International sales, which include the UK site as well as those in Germany, Japan, France and China, rose by 32% to $3.43bn (£2.2bn).
The company said it expected net sales for the fourth quarter to come in at between $12bn (£7.6bn) and $13.3bn (£8.5bn), growing by between 26% and 40% compared to the same time last year, while operating income could be as low as $360m (£229.1m) or as high as $560m (£356.4m), ranging from a 24% fall to 18% growth.
Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon.com, said: “Every year for the last 15 years we’ve worked to improve the things customers care about, and this year is no exception. This holiday season we’ll have the best prices, the biggest selection, the highest in-stock and the fastest delivery in our history.”
