Amazon is set to flog a whopping 8 million of its Kindle ebook readers this year, according to BusinessWeek sources. That figure -- if correct -- would put it within touching distance of Apple's iPad, which had sold 7.5 million units by the end of September.
Last year around 2.5 million Kindles were sold, according to BusinessWeek, and the gadget is now Amazon's most popular product. Apple will reveal how many iPads it sold in the new year.
Amazon launched a new model of the Kindle earlier this year, which we praised as its best yet. Smaller, cheaper and better looking, it seems to have been a huge hit for the company.
We loved its design, its no-contract 3G downloads, its clear display and excellent battery life, decreeing in our review, "The Kindle 3G is an excellent ebook reader that makes finding, downloading and reading books a pleasure."
CNET UK editor Jason Jenkins nominated the Kindle as Greatest Gadget of the 21st Century in our recent competition. The voters disagreed, knocking it out in the second round, although it was defeated by the iPhone, which went on to win.
The iPad, meanwhile, arrived in April this year to much fanfare and hype from publishers as the future of content delivery, but recent sales -- 4.2 million in the three months to the end of September -- have disappointed industry watchers. By comparison, the iPhone 4, introduced two months later, has already shipped 14 million units.
The iPad and Kindle are at the forefront of a tech movement to put entertainment in people's hands, in gadgets that are easier to use and enjoy than mobile phones. Book and newspaper publishers and movie and TV distributors are all fervently hoping they'll catch on and people will start paying for their stuff again.
A new wave of tablet computers, inspired by the iPad and powered by software such as Google's Android, is expected to be revealed at the CES tech show in January. Apple is widely tipped to launch a sequel to the iPad next April.
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Comments 4
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Anonymous 22 December, 2010 23:01
Voodoo sales estimates (from the entrails of chicken or similar dubious methods, Amazon certainly aren't telling) putting numbers roughly equal to iPad sales, 2/3rds of the way through its sales year, with the busiest sales period yet to come and while Apple were seriously production limited (even the most optimistic analysts were estimating full year sales of only 7 million at launch date, Apple weren't expecting the kind of demand that has put sales close to double that for year end) makes their numbers roughly equal? Did you actually THINK before you wrote that?
Mark Anderson 22 December, 2010 23:30
@anonymous
Sure. And Xmas isn't Amazon's busiest sales period either. Oh wait. It is.
Apple fanboys: like school custard but thicker and with even less taste.
Anonymous 23 December, 2010 08:19
@Mark Anderson
The forecast (such that it is) of 8 million sales is for YEAR END, and INCLUDES Christmas. You honestly think that comparing the Kindle's year total sales with 6 month's results of the iPad (not including the busiest sales period and while it was production limited) and calling the two equal makes sense? If you do then custard has nothing in it.
anonymous 30 December, 2010 19:26
I like Kindle, I really wish they'd make a version whereby you could word process at the same time. I mean how cool.. you go to a book reading group, lecture etc and can type up NOTES not in the book.
I'm after a simple no-nonsense writing machine.. there's few if any out there. Tactile machines are next to useless in sunlight and are prone to soo many typo's they are useless. Other devices eat battery other than say Win CE devices that I've written over 190 songs, 3 scripts, 100+ business reports on. Wifi access and microcards + some apps.. funky stuff. Some people don't want phones or netbooks.. ever tried taking one down the beach? Exactly....