Amazon's Kindle E-Reader Boosts 71% Rise in Q4 Profits
Amazon has attributed its leap in profits mainly due to the popularity of its Kindle product. They have achieved a net profit of $384m (£238m) for the last three months of 2009, up from $225m (£139.5m) during the same quarter a year ago. Revenue rose by 42% to $9.52bn (£5.9bn).
Launched in the US last May, the Kindle DX e-reader allows users to download e-books on the go and store up to 3,500 books. Its current cost is $489 (£300).
CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos said, "Kindle owners read, a lot. When we have both editions, we sell six Kindle books for every ten physical books. This is year to date and includes only paid books - free Kindle books would make the number even higher."
From 19 January this year, the large-screen 9.7 inch Kindle DX became available to ship to more than 100 countries, including the UK.