Amazon's Bestselling Product Ever: The Kindle 3

Amazon.com has announced staggering sales figures from this year's Cyber Monday event, the Internet's version of Black Friday discount shopping.

The company's stats reportedly show that November 29 (Cyber Monday) was Amazon's busiest day of 2010. On that day, worldwide visitors bought an average of 158 items every single second, totaling a "record-breaking" 13.7 million items sold.

"According to comScore, overall online spending in the United States surpassed $1 billion on Cyber Monday in 2010, up 16 percent versus [a] year ago. Clearly, Amazon took a huge piece of that particular pie," writes TechCrunch.

Amazon also revealed that the third-generation Kindle e-reader was the most popular holiday item, based on the number of units ordered.

Thanks to the Kindle 3's strong sales this year, Amazon dubbed the device its worldwide bestselling product of all time. Previously, Amazon's bestselling item had been "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

"Kindle's $139 price point is a key factor -- it's low enough that people don't have to choose," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO in a press release.

Though Amazon did not outline the Kindle's exact sales figures, Business Insider states that Amazon is probably "on pace to sell 8 million Kindles this year."

[hat tip, Geekosystem]

Comments

[Guitarsandmore]

12:42 AM on 01/02/2011

13.7 million items sold on Amazon - too bad they don't pay sales tax, that would go a long way towards knocking down the debt.

[Pragmatism First]

09:22 AM on 12/31/2010

I'm sick of seeing the same thing on their front page every day!

[RevSpaminator]

09:22 PM on 12/29/2010

Best selling product ever? Even bigger than the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt and Tuscan Milk?

[Sleepers Awake]

08:00 AM on 12/29/2010

Many books are truly "disposable" books. It's possible to read them and forget them and never have the need or desire to refer to them again, and for those, I like the Kindle and the ease and convenience of downloading books immediately. The downloads, however, are almost always more expensive than new or used paper.

I like to refer back to many books though, especially non-fiction, and it's about impossible (or at least decidedly inconvenient) with the Kindle.

Consider the last book I read on the Kindle, The Death of the Liberal Class, by Chris Hedges, Kindle edition $11.99 while the least expensive new or used is still more expensive, $15.31 plus shipping. The Kindle editions of his two previous books, however, are more expensive.

Kindle version of Empire of Illusion is $11.15 while used costs $5.71 plus shipping.

Kindle version of American Fas_c_ists is $11.64 while used costs $3.70 plus shipping.

After a year or two, used best sellers are commonly available for one cent.

Example: Kindle version of Kite Runner is $11.00. Used costs one cent (40 available) plus shipping.

I wish I had read a paper copy rather than a Kindle copy of _Death of the Middle Class_ though because I'd like to refer back to some ideas, and while it's possible to make notes and comments in the Kindle, they are decidedly inconvenient.

Finally, I don't like the DRM locks on any ebooks, Kindle included.

[Leo Bloom]

02:18 PM on 12/29/2010

"Many books are truly "disposabl­e" books."
I strongly disagree with you there.

One person's disposables, another person treasure.

I had an old synth book by Robert Moog. Two weeks ago sold it on Amazon for $550 dollars.

So happy it wasn't on Kindle.

[Sleepers Awake]

02:55 PM on 12/29/2010

OK, I get your point, but you must get mine as well. Otherwise, how could you have sold your Robert Moog book.

"...another person's treasure"?

Yes, and way to go!

[Donald Locke]

04:36 AM on 12/29/2010

I love my Kindle. I work overseas and am gone away from the house for a month at a time and it would be next to impossible to carry my supply of reading material without it. To me it is the best alternative to "real" books. I have found that anything back-lite causes to much eye strain and detracts from the reading experience.

[michla]

04:20 AM on 12/29/2010

I resent essentially paying full price for a book I can't lend to a friend (or donate). I'd be happy to pay a couple extra bucks for an e/copy of a hardback I've purchased. (ie a code to allow me to read the actual book or load it on the Kindle for convenience.) Can't seem to make the plunge to pay $10 for such a limited use product.

[rbryanh]

01:03 AM on 12/29/2010

Will you hold my head while I vomit?

[ChelleAgain]

06:44 AM on 12/29/2010

No.

[knightoftheroundtable]

11:29 PM on 12/28/2010

I just keep procrastinating....
But I do get lots of books free from our library.
Kindle or Nook?
Since I like free, Nook (after initial cost) is the way I am leaning since our library has enough books I can check out for two weeks on Nook without even leaving the house.
On the other hand I hear that apps are available for Kindle that will allow books from library to be downloaded.
Anyone know the apps needed for Kindle?
Procrastinators are the worse of the worse, oh me oh my.

[ChelleAgain]

12:15 AM on 12/29/2010

If you want it for the library then Nook as Amazon doesn't support that. Amazon does have a lot of freebies though. I've heard there are ways around that -- finding your Kindle's PID or getting around the protections on library books, but in the normal course of things it's not supported.

[Leo Bloom]

12:53 AM on 12/29/2010

Nook is far away the best alternative as a far getting books is concerned.
Pdf files-- Nook supports it, Kindle doesn't ( or at least makes it extremely difficult to use).
Nook-Read unlimited books within B&N wi- fi reach.
Nook- Lend books to friends.

The ONLY thing in Kindle favor-- slightly better Pearl e-ink.

In all other aspects Nook is far and away a better choice.

[dpinmd]

09:19 AM on 12/29/2010

PDFs on Kindle are no problem. Kindle is also vastly superior in terms of search function, highlighting/notes (and ability to FIND them again), and dictionary. Having tried both, IMO the ONLY thing in Nook's favor is the ability to borrow books from the library. (Which is, admittedly, a wonderful feature as long as your library has a decent selection of ebooks and you don't mind only having the books for a limited time.)

[SpunkyFerret]

02:36 PM on 12/29/2010

I think KOBO from Borders slightly beats out the Nook. It is several ounces lighter, which makes all the difference on long reads. Supports all the known formats, like Nook does. Just about the same as the Nook in format and price. I hate the whole color stuff, though, specially the backlit color that is on part of the Nook.

I'll go with the KOBO. Funny no one hear seems to mention it.

[witsendster]

09:21 PM on 12/28/2010

Okay, fellow Huffpo readers - I want either a kindle or a nook (I like that the nook is backlit for reading in bed so as not to disturb dear husband, and that it is color..) - what do those of you who have taken the plunge advise me to get? How happy are you with kindle or nook?

[ChelleAgain]

09:32 PM on 12/28/2010

I'm on record as being a Kindle girl. If you want to read at bedtime, you might want to steer clear of a back-lit screen. The backlight, as opposed to a book light, tricks your system into thinking it's still day, inhibiting the production of melatonin. Melatonin helps you sleep. It's the difference between a light shining in your eyes and shining on the page.

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2010/05/19/backlit-readers-could-inhibit-sleep/

[witsendster]

09:36 PM on 12/28/2010

Interesting! Thanks for sharing! Do you have a kindle booklight? Is it pretty good? Rechargable??

[Brainstormy]

06:51 AM on 12/29/2010

I agree with you. They haven't made one yet that's pefect for both beach and bed reading. My daughter's newer Kindle works better in the dark, my older one is better in the day. I'm finding that I listen to audio books on Ipod in bed, keep a paper one going on the porch, and read from the Kindle in the evenings when my husband watches TV. Never imagined I'd be consuming books in three mediums.

[ARTIST50]

05:09 PM on 12/31/2010

The new kindle has a cover you can buy with a light built in that is powered by the kindle. I'm a big kindle fan. I read a lot and don't want anything back- lit and I really want the best in e-readers. I don't care if it multi-tasks. If you do the research you'll find the new kindle gets the best reviews as a reader. I have had one for over a year, I bought the new one because of the light and other improvements and gave my old one to my son.

[darcdante]

06:35 PM on 12/28/2010

I sure do love that capitalism often gives us such awesome things.

[raker]

07:30 PM on 12/28/2010

I sure don't love that Asian slave labor gives us such awesome things.

[witsendster]

09:24 PM on 12/28/2010

:) I like that those who post here have a conscience and remind us of such things as this. Thank you. It is easy to get carried away with all these nifty products - but your right, we need to know how and where they are being made and vote with our dollar. So, to add on to my earlier post, which product has better manufacturing conditions - kindle or nook? Or are both exploiting workers?

[darcdante]

05:39 PM on 12/29/2010

I do appreciate that you mentioned that. I think I'll stick with my books, proudly bound in the good ol' US of A.

[acmes]

06:18 PM on 12/28/2010

I have a huge stack of unread books by my bed and at least 30 on my Kindle that have been read (another 40 are in process). Even my husband who purchased an ipad after losing his Kindle, finds that he did more reading with the latter. People who are serious about reading want a dedicated device with no distractions. The Kindle is one of the simplest and most efficient gadgets I've ever owned.

[LolaGetz]

07:08 PM on 12/28/2010

I just got mine this year as a Christmas present from my husband and love it, love it, love it! Even being laid low the day after Christmas with a nasty stomach virus didn't stop me from already finishing a novel on my new Kindle by this morning, and I've already downloaded more.

As gadgets go, it's one of the best. My iPod is sitting snugly on its dock and I don't even know where my phone is half the time, but I'm already carrying the Kindle around with me from room to room. Looks like 2011 is going to see a substantial cut in the amount of time I spend online because I'll actually be reading books.

Your observation about serious readers wanting a dedicated device with no distractions is absolutely spot on. For a while, I thought I wanted an iPad, but the Kindle is exactly what I need.

[ChelleAgain]

09:46 PM on 12/28/2010

I love to read, but you ask me to read on a laptop or iPad and every ten minutes I'll be checking my email or Huffington Post. :) Dedicated book readers all the way.

My nephew got a Kindle from me this Christmas and an iPad from his parents. I offered to get the Kindle with the explanation about all the distractions and how a couple hours before bedtime he'd be better off switching to the Kindle. The whole idea was a reward for his being an advanced reader and I'm not sure an iPad is the best tool to encourage that. ::grin::

[Georgia1992]

10:33 PM on 12/28/2010

Received a Kindle for Christmas myself. Love it!

[UmassThrower]

10:46 PM on 12/28/2010

I did quite a lot of reading on my ipad without issue. But I will probably switch to my christmas kindle now.

[suzy86]

06:16 PM on 12/28/2010

I ultimately chose the Barnes & Noble Nook because it's able to host a variety of file types, especially .epub and the Kindle cannot. I love my Nook =)

[Beaupedia]

07:11 PM on 12/28/2010

Same here, I love being able to check out ebooks from my local library and read them on my Nook, can't do that on the Kindle.

[witsendster]

09:27 PM on 12/28/2010

Ooooo - didn't know about checking out ebooks with nook! I have been back and forth about which to get - like the backlit screen idea with nook (like to read in bed w/o bugging husband!)

[shannonb2008]

06:04 PM on 12/28/2010

I bought a 1st gen Kindle almost two years ago from someone who upgraded to the 2nd gen (woo hoo for me cause it came with a free 1 gb card) and I absolutely love it. I have several hundred books on it so I have a whole library with me to choose from depending on what I'm in the mood to read.

The only thing about it that I don't like are all the people I know who may see me out reading a regular book. They ALWAYS freak out and ask a bunch of panicked questions like "No Kindle today?" "Oh my goodness, did it break?" "Did you run out of books for it?"

For some reason a lot of people think that once you own one you can never touch a paper book again! Your book ownership license gets revoked!

(On an opposite note: I have been reading a beautifully faded old 1940's edition of Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady" on my lunch break for about a month. I'm almost as much in love with the book's materials as I am with the storyline.

In addition to the "no Kindle" comments I've had about a dozen people make comments as to why I would want to bother to read such an 'old looking book' in the first place.

Sigh.)

[mick e]

06:40 PM on 12/28/2010

I know what you mean. There is nothing like picking up a well worn, leather bound volume of your favorite author. The feel, and smell of the leather, along with yellowed pages is an experience unlike any other. I get that way when I am holding the complete works of Arthur Conan Doyle...

[witsendster]

09:28 PM on 12/28/2010

They just don't get it....The loss is theirs.

[Terris Linenbach]

05:15 PM on 12/28/2010

Prices need to fall especially since you can't do anything with your purchases besides "consume" them. Want to let Mom read your "book"? Sorry Charlie. Sucker born every minute.

[Beaupedia]

07:12 PM on 12/28/2010

That isn't the case with the Barnes & Noble Nook. You can lend books out to friends with the Nook, which is one reason I chose it over the Kindle. The other reason is that I can check out library ebooks with the Nook and not the Kindle.

[moraldesert]

07:18 PM on 12/28/2010

The kindle has a 14 day lending feature thats been available for over 2 months now, also you can borrow books from the library too, you just need a little program that finds your kindle's PID.

[ARTIST50]

05:23 PM on 12/31/2010

I think you're going to find that there are limits on lending. I don't believe it's unlimited. When I checked it out you could only do it a couple times month and Amazon is cat hing up with this. Amazon also has such a better selection IMO.

[ChelleAgain]

09:26 PM on 12/28/2010

Anyone on your account shares your books. You trust mom? Then put her on your account. If mom has a Kindle, a cell, an iPad or a computer, she can read all your books. If you don't trust your mom, then you have bigger issues. :)

[Susan Bosworth]

09:32 PM on 12/28/2010

I was wondering how that works; my mom gave my dad a Kindle for Christmas but my husband gave me an Ipad and I of course downloaded the app immediately.

[piplzchoice]

05:02 PM on 12/28/2010

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