NEWS ABOUT: Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos stories: 13 news briefs
New York Times Jan 27, 09 6:00 PM CST
(Newser Summary) -
Tech bloggers reading their tea leaves say e-book fans can expect the new version of the Kindle on Feb. 9. Though maker Amazon has made no announcement, the company has scheduled a major press conference that day with chief Jeff Bezos. And, notes Brad Stone of the New York Times , the Kindle details page on Amazon.com now notes that the electronic reader will ship in four to six weeks.
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Top CEOs have taken a 28% hit in the value of their company holdings
Wall Street Journal Oct 23, 08 8:08 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Next time you check the value of your portfolio, know that America's top executives are taking a pounding with you: Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has seen his holdings in his company decline $9.6 billion this year, reports the Wall Street Journal. And he’s got company. Oracle’s Larry Ellison is out $6.6 billion; Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, $4.8 billion; and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, $4.2 billion.
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ANALYSIS
Version 2.0 is coming, but a megahit may still elude Amazon
BusinessWeek Aug 26, 08 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon plans to launch the next generation of its Kindle e-book player in the coming months, but an iPod-sized hit may still be out of the company's grasp, Peter Burrows writes in BusinessWeek . Much-needed improvements are on the way, but the real future for Kindle could be in using its player technology in other devices, Burrows suggests.
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analysis
Amazon's electronic reader is up against tough demographics
Portfolio Aug 5, 08 9:14 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
After about 9 months on the market, how goes the Kindle? No official sales figures are out for Amazon's electronic reader, but Liz Gunnison of Portfolio tries to get a sense of things. If you were expecting it to ignite a revolution in reading, keep dreaming. Amazon has likely sold about 240,000—that puts revenue at about $100 million, a "rounding error" by Amazon standards—and Gunnison doesn't see a huge market beyond that because of a host of demographic and market factors.
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ANALYSIS
E-tailer stays nimble as Yahoo, eBay trip into the future
Economist Jun 20, 08 4:45 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Yahoo, eBay, and Amazon emerged from the dot-com bust as a mighty triumvirate, but only Amazon has kept its mojo in the decade's latter stages, the Economist reports. Yahoo, the oldest of the lot at 14, shooed away Microsoft, surrendered part of its business to Google, and failed to stay current. It survives, “but on the web’s equivalent of life support."
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Pending TV and movie streaming may be snarling system
New York Times Jun 10, 08 2:44 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon's new digital video service could be behind the glitches that have been plaguing the site, reports the New York Times . The online retailer was knocked offline for two hours last week and suffered sporadic problems yesterday. Analysts believe the company may be rejigging its distribution system ahead of the relaunch of its Amazon Unbox movie and TV download service. Outages were mostly limited to the US, where the service is expected to debut.
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Service to rival Netflix will be up and running within weeks
Reuters May 29, 08 9:41 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon plans to open the sluices for pay-per-view video streaming within weeks, Reuters reports. The Internet retail giant already rents videos for download via the Web but is enhancing its digital media service to better compete with rivals like Apple and Netflix. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos told a conference yesterday the service will be "a new version of video on demand."
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EARNINGS REPORT
Online retailer sees 30% jump in face of economic slowdown
Wall Street Journal Apr 23, 08 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon posted a 30% profit jump in the first quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports, defying the sluggish economy. Net income was $143 million (34 cents a share) compared with $111 million (26 cents a share) in last year's first quarter. The company’s operating income guidance for the fiscal year fell, however—pushing shares sharply downward after hours.
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Holiday shopping doubles retailer's
quarterly income
Wall Street Journal Jan 30, 08 5:47 PM CST
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon's net income more than doubled in the fourth quarter, in part because of the retailer's sales gimmicks for the holidays, reports the Wall Street Journal . In addition, Amazon released a cheerier than expected forecast for this year's first quarter. The good news could help soothe Wall Street's nervousness over decreasing consumer spending.
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Proceeds from the handwritten book will go to charity
Bloomberg Dec 14, 07 3:54 PM CST
(Newser Summary) -
The Internet giant of book sales revealed today that it was behind the purchase of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" in auction yesterday. Amazon paid $3.98 million for the handwritten manuscript -- a record for a children's book and for any modern literary manuscript, not to mention JK Rowling herself, reports Bloomberg . The money will go to a charity co-founded by the "Harry Potter" author.
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Newsweek looks at changes $399 device could wreak on reading
Newsweek Nov 19, 07 3:24 AM CST
(Newser Summary) -
News that Amazon would debut its new Kindle e-book leaked earlier this week, and a Newsweek cover story has the full hype on what Jeff Bezos and company hope to achieve with it. "This isn't a device, it's a service," Bezos says of of the Kindle, pointing to its "Whispernet" wireless connection, which uses Sprint's EVDO network, as one of its key attributes.
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But similar devices haven't captured the public's imagination
CNET Nov 15, 07 9:58 PM CST
(Newser Summary) -
Online retail giant Amazon.com will unveil its highly anticipated electronic-book reader on Monday in New York, an industry source tells CNET. In the works for more than a year, the Kindle is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection that taps into an Amazon e-book store, which users can access to buy new electronic books.
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Despite 313% jump, stock drops in after-hours trading
CNN Oct 24, 07 12:30 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Amazon reported strong increases in third-quarter sales, citing once again its low pricing and free shipping for success. But investors may have been hoping for an even larger increase, because Amazon's share prices fell over 8% in after-hours trading. The company netted a profit of $80 million for the quarter, an increase of 313% over last year’s figures, according to CNNMoney.
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