Color Kindle remains 'multiple' years away
updated 06:30 pm EDT, Thu May 28, 2009
Color Kindle years away
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, responding to a question presented at a shareholders meeting, has claimed that his company is unlikely to ever publicly reveal sales numbers for the Kindle, and according to Physorg. The executive also suggests a device utilizing a color display is still in the early stages of development.
"I know it's multiple years. I don't know how many years but it's years," Bezos said, referring to the time-frame for a color device. "I've seen the color displays in the laboratory and I can assure you they're not ready for prime time."
"I beg your indulgence on the question of how many Kindles have been sold," Bezos told the shareholders. "I'm not sure we ever will reveal all of the numbers, our point of view on that is that there can often be a competitive advantage in keeping the numbers close."
The CEO suggests his company is still "investing very heavily" in the digital business, but he does not want people to think that the Kindle is "already a big cash flow generator for us."
Amazon earlier this month launched an extra-large variant of the e-book reader, the Kindle DX, with a 9.7-inch screen and an integrated accelerometer. The device is expected to ship later in the summer for $490, marking an increase in price from earlier versions.
