Is Amazon Intentionally Hiding Kindle Numbers?
0Amazon Kindle is a wonderful device. It is a potentially game changer and has rekindled the ebook market’s fire. Kindle is a portable and cost saving for consumers, and as an always connected device is sure to be the man’s next best friend on trips and on the go. But why is Amazon hiding the sales numbers of Kindle? Here are a few reasons that I can think of, which by the way may or may not be true:
- Amazon has failed to sell enough Kindles and they are afraid that revealing the numbers will blow apart all the hype that they have had for Amazon Kindle. After all, Amazon Kindle can’t be a revolutionary and game changing device unless its in people’s hands. If the number is too low, then that would be extremely disappointing not to the fans, but also to the investors and other stakeholders.
- Going back to the first point, Amazon could have intentionally released Kindle slowly to create the illusion that it is in high demand. But with no real numbers to back them up, the gig is up. Amazon may have delayed the shipments to create artificial demand, but that can’t last forever.
- Amazon’s failure to provide its customers with timely delivery will even look worse if the numbers are out. If the numbers are very low, then Amazon will look extremely bad as it shouldn’t take 30 to 60 days to ship Amazon Kindles.
- It could be that Amazon is buying time. Somehow someway they may be waiting for Kindle to catch fire, but this also would not work as the longer Amazon goes without disclosing the sales numbers, the more discouraged people get about the future of Kindle.
Amazon Kindle is a great device, but without a community of people using it, it will die a quick death. I put Kindle up there with the iPhone, but Amazon has not been able to generate enough buzz around the Kindle. I still get surprised when I have to explain to people what the Kindle is and how it’s worth $399 that Amazon is charging. I know that Jeff is behind Kindle, but I am not sure Amazon can sustain Kindle without a true big community of users. Maybe Amazon will try one from Apple’s handbook: price cut!
