While Amazon won't release numbers, an enterprising commenter on Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/20/amazon-kindle-is-back-in-stock/#comments) comes to this conclusion based on data released by Amazon's e-ink manufacturer (http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20080418PD204.html).The Taiwan-based company said its current monthly shipments of 6-inch EDP modules, priced at US$70-80 each, amount to 60,000-80,000 units, with 60% going to Amazon and 40% to Sony.60% of 60,000 units * 6 months since release = 216,000 units sold.

http://tinyurl.com/4s7qql

I saw that too.

That data must be wrong. If there is really a 60/40 split of the Vizplex screens between Amazon and Sony, then that would mean that Bookeen got 0% and Hanlin got 0%.

Maybe they did get some but it's too small a percentage for them to mention.

These are rough estimates, since the difference between 60.000 and 80.000 is also rather big, don't you think? But at least it gives us an idea, how maby devices OVERALL are beeing produced and (probably) sold.

These are rough estimates, since the difference between 60.000 and 80.000 is also rather big, don't you think? But at least it gives us an idea, how maby devices OVERALL are beeing produced and (probably) sold.

Maybe that's the price difference between 4 gray scales and 8 gray scales. I doubt they'd be giving away, in a press release, the fact that Customer A gets a better price break for slightly hgher orders than Customer B.

Maybe that's the price difference between 4 gray scales and 8 gray scales. I doubt they'd be giving away, in a press release, the fact that Customer A gets a better price break for slightly hgher orders than Customer B.

There is no difference in the display between those gray levels. It is a controller issue, not a display issue.

Dale

These are rough estimates, since the difference between 60.000 and 80.000 is also rather big, don't you think? But at least it gives us an idea, how maby devices OVERALL are beeing produced and (probably) sold.

Yep. This is also listed as the current production. They've been saying they were ramping up to meet increased demand. This doesn't say what it was back in November.

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/digital/kindle/letters/jeff-letter._V257953935_.png

knowning that the supplier does 60/40 split to amazon and sony then if you know any of sony numbers then you should be able to approximate that to the number of kindles sold.

Does anyone know how many sony readers were sold in the last 6 months?

I don't even think 216,000 eink device has been sold to begin with. That's a pretty huge number. I'd say more like 16,000. Perhaps 40,000 if you want a wilder guess.

I don't even think 216,000 eink device has been sold to begin with. That's a pretty huge number. I'd say more like 16,000. Perhaps 40,000 if you want a wilder guess.

The direct quote from the article is:
The Taiwan-based company said its current monthly shipments of 6-inch EDP modules, priced at US$70-80 each, amount to 60,000-80,000 units, with 60% going to Amazon and 40% to Sony.

Granted early production number probably weren't that high, but it implies that Sony alone is selling more than 16,000 a month now.

Granted early production number probably weren't that high

That made more sense. However, production doesn't equal units sold either.

And like other poster mentioned, there are other brand name eink device as well.

Of course, I'm certain Engadget is not suppose to promote them.

Engadget worked too hard to create the comment "216,000 units sold"

I agree, I think the number sold is surprisingly small to some


I don't even think 216,000 eink device has been sold to begin with. That's a pretty huge number. I'd say more like 16,000. Perhaps 40,000 if you want a wilder guess.

Engadget worked too hard to create the comment "216,000 units sold"

I don't think you can equate a private commenter on Engadget speculating that the Kindle had sold 21,000 units with Engadget working hard to create the comment made by someone here that the number is 216,000.

I don't think you can equate a private commenter on Engadget speculating that the Kindle had sold 21,000 units with Engadget working hard to create the comment made by someone here that the number is 216,000.

My apology for not seeing it was merely a private commenter. I'll take that part about Engadget back.

knowning that the supplier does 60/40 split to amazon and sony then if you know any of sony numbers then you should be able to approximate that to the number of kindles sold.


But you know that that is not true. What about all the other eInk device manufacturers - do you think that they get no screens at all? Am I hallucinating that my CyBook Gen3 has an eInk screen? :)

Maybe the other manufacturers comprised a very small percentage so they didn't mention them in the article.

Maybe the other manufacturers comprised a very small percentage so they didn't mention them in the article.

That is a possibility.

I didn't know about Cybook or Iliad till i go into this website. Even then I bought a Kindle. It even ruins the Cybook's name if they mentioned the percentage they've shipped for Cybook (if it's a low percentage)

According to my knowlege, Not so big amount.
35,000 pcs/per month sold by PVI.
Jinke 35%
Amazon 30%
Sony 15%
others 20%

According to my knowlege, Not so big amount.
35,000 pcs/per month sold by PVI.
Jinke 35%
Amazon 30%
Sony 15%
others 20%

Now that's a much more believable answer (even though you haven't given us the source). Interesting you noted Jinke though. Probably because China is an extremely large market and you only need a low percentage of customers to reaps major markets.

Even at the lower numbers - 35,000 per month, with 30% being Kindle, that's 10,500 Kindles per month, times 4 months, that's 42,000, plus how many ever were sold in 2007. (Subtract an unknown amount for the supply disruptions earlier this year.)

Is Amazon Going To Sell 48,000 Kindles A Month? (AMZN)

Richard McRoskey | May 7, 2008 2:20 PM

How many Kindles are out there? To date we've only heard the vaguest of anecdotes (http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/e_publisher___kindle_royalties_now_outpacing_sony_ s_). Now some theoretical numbers: According to Asian tech pub Digitimes (http://www.digitimes.com/index.asp), the Taiwanese company that makes the display module for the Kindle and other e-readers is shipping 60,000-80,000 of them (http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20080418PD204.html) monthly and expects that number to hit 120,000 by the second half of the year. (via IndieKindle (http://indiekindle.blogspot.com/2008/04/half-million-kindles-by-year-end-2008.html))
Prime View International (http://www.pvi.com.tw/en/index/index.php), which manufactures the Kindle's 6-inch electrophoretic display (EPD), says 60% of those displays go to Amazon. That means Jeff Bezos is ordering up to 48,000 per month--and the number could approach 72,000 by year's end, if PVI's forecast is accurate.
Amazon (AMZN) said it had resolved (http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/4/amazon_reboots_kindle_sales_blows_up_ebay_aftermar ket_amzn_) its long-running Kindle supply problems in mid-April, so we don't know how many Kindles it was moving prior to that.
But for argument's sake, let's average the 48,000 and 72,000 monthly numbers: 55,000 a month. And let's say that Amazon does indeed sell that many for the remainder of the year. By our count, that means we're looking at least 660,000 Kindles by end of 2008. Not shabby for a $399 gadget not made by Apple.
See Also: Amazon Reboots Kindle Sales (http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/4/amazon_reboots_kindle_sales_blows_up_ebay_aftermar ket_amzn_)

I relabeled this thread as rumor. There are obvious inaccuracies in the original article. It's time we stopped taking it seriously.