Amazon usually doesn"t comment on the sales of its Kindle eReader devices. That changed today, at least a little, with a new press release that gave a tiny glimpse into the sales of the Kindle line up. Amazon claims that for the past three weeks it has sold "well over 1 million Kindle devices per week." It also says that Kindle devices are the best selling products on Amazon.com for the past 11 weeks, along with the most wished for and the most gifted product on the retail web site.
Amazon also gave a little more information on the specific sales of the $199 Kindle Fire tablet device. Dave Limp, the Vice President for Amazon"s Kindle division said, "Kindle Fire is the most successful product we’ve ever launched – it’s the bestselling product across all of Amazon for 11 straight weeks, we’ve already sold millions of units, and we’re building millions more to meet the high demand. In fact, demand is accelerating – Kindle Fire sales increased week over week for each of the past three weeks."
That has to be good news for Amazon, especially considering the mixed reviews the Kindle Fire tablet has received from the tech and media press. The New York Times reported earlier this week that Amazon plans to release a software update for the Kindle Fire in less that two weeks that will feature some performance and multi-touch improvements. The update will also allow people to edit the list of items they have recently used on the tablet.
And what about the cheaper Kindle Reader devices? Limp said, "Our family of Kindle e-ink readers are close behind Kindle Fire on the Amazon.com bestseller list. Customers continue to report preferring their Kindle e-reader for long-form reading, and in fact we’ve seen many customers buy two Kindles – both a Kindle Fire and a Kindle or Kindle Touch – this holiday season."