Bezos: Kindle Hits ‘Tipping Point’
July 20, 2010 · Print This Article
Amazon chief executive, Jeff Bezos, announced that sales of books in the digital Kindle format have, for the first time, eclipsed sales of hardcover books. The timing was almost certainly accelerated by a recent price drop in the Kindle device in response to market conditions brought on by the advent of Apple’s hot-selling iPad tablet and ebook reader device. Either way, this is a milestone on the path to a digital future and therefore worth bring to your attention.
Careful readers will note, however, that this does not mean that digital has passed physical print, as some outlets are implying in their coverage. It just means that at Amazon, a Digital based retailer, that digital books have outsold physical hardcover books for the first time ever. The question remains as to exactly what kinds of books this feat really covers, as we can’t imagine things like coffee-table art books, photography based books and others have surpassed their physical versions with digital sales. The data also does not pertain to paperbacks which are, of course, a huge part of the business.
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