Amazon Kindle Officially Crowned The Best Seller for 2008

After weeks of speculation about the bestsellers list by Amazon, we finally know that Amazon Kindle will finish the year as No. 1 in the electronics category. Information Week has the story. I did raise a point a while back about the accuracy of the list but am willing to concede that Kindle has over-performed, considering that it has been out of stock for about 2 months now.

The fact that folks have kept buying the Kindle during these tough economic times should be very good news for Amazon. Kindle is not a cheap gadget, but perhaps is the most useful gadget you can buy this year. This may come as harsh, but we need to read more and watch less TV if we want to become more competitive in this global economy. Kindle may help some of us do that. But more importantly, devices such as the Kindle will change the way we  buy and read books. Kindle can save serial book readers money over the long run, and who wouldn’t want that?

It’s been an amazing year for Amazon, but 2009 can only get better. Amazon could have pushed the Kindle more, but the device now has enough following to survive. The next step, and perhaps the most difficult one, will be to convince ordinary Joe and Jane that buying the Kindle is the right choice.