Newsweek is running an interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos where he speaks openly about his company’s long-term approach to satisfying customer needs. Naturally, Amazon’s Kindle is at the center of the discussion.
Here’s a look at of one question and answer from Newsweek:
Q. Have you been surprised by the Kindle’s success?
A. Astonished. Two years ago, none of us expected what has happened so far. It is [our] No. 1 bestselling product. It’s the No. 1 most-wished-for product as measured by people putting it on their wish list. It’s the No. 1 most-gifted item on Amazon. And I’m not just talking in electronics–that’s true across all product categories. We’ve spent years working on our physical books business, and today, for titles that have a Kindle edition, Kindle book sales are 48 percent of the physical sales. That’s up from 35 percent in May. The business is growing very quickly. This is not just a business for us. There is missionary zeal. We feel like Kindle is bigger than we are.
I like to see that kind of passion from a leader. Bezos has said Kindle is better than a book and while I’m not ready to go along with that, Kindle does come with lots of features that give such an argument weight. For instance,Kindle stores 1500 books in its 10.2 ounce encasement. That’s an entire library! And Kindle automatically connects to 3G wireless networks to download new books, magazines and blogs of choice in less than 60 seconds (with no help needed from a PC). Plus, the paper-like display reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight.
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