Amazon Kindle hits November sales high

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 1 Dec 2009 at 08:55

It looks as if 2009 is set to be the year of the eBook reader with Amazon reporting record sales of the Kindle, and Sony complaining of short stocks due to high demand ahead of Christmas.

Amazon claims the Kindle has posted its best sales yet in the month of November, after the company began shipping an international edition to over 100 countries including the UK.

The online retailer claims shoppers are buying several Kindles at once as Christmas gifts, while businesses are buying the device "in large quantities" for employees or clients. Amazon does not provide precise data on Kindle sales.

The statement follows notices by Barnes & Noble and Sony to customers warning that they have already sold out of their eBook readers due to high demand.

Barnes & Noble claims it won't be able to ship devices until customers until 4 January, while Sony claims its Daily Edition eBook reader might not make it to buyers before the end of the year.

While the higher-than-expected demand proves there's interest in the device, Barnes & Noble and Sony appear to have lost an opportunity to make up ground on Amazon's market-leading Kindle.

Analyst firm iSuppli Corp has predicted that five million eBook readers will be sold in 2009, though Forrester Research pegs the figure at closer to three million.