<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cb770c80142832d1f34405d-2400/ap16328206997386.jpg" border="0" alt="Amazon china" data-mce-source="AP/Ng Han Guan" />AP/Ng Han GuanAmazon China will end this year.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/amazon">Amazon</a> is closing its domestic business in China, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.</li><li>Fulfillment centers will close, and third-party seller partnerships will be discontinued.</li><li>The company will instead focus on selling Chinese goods elsewhere and digital services and Kindles to consumers in China.</li><li>China is home to Alibaba and its many websites that are popular with Chinese consumers. </li></ul>Amazon.com Inc plans to close its domestic marketplace business in China by mid-July, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, focusing efforts on its more lucrative businesses selling overseas goods and cloud services in the world's most populous country.Shoppers in China will no longer be able to buy goods from other third-party merchants in the country, but they still will be able to order from the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark and Japan via Amazon's global store. Amazon expects to close fulfillment centers and wind down its support for domestic-selling merchants in China in the next 90 days, one of the people said.Consumers in China will still be able to purchase Kindle e-readers and online content, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Amazon Web Services, its cloud unit that sells data storage and computing power to enterprises, will remain as well.The company's China marketplace, which has stocked products from Chinese as well as overseas merchants, struggled to gain a foothold in the country's fiercely competitive e-commerce market.The company's operations were first known as Joyo, which Amazon purchased in 2004 for $75 million. Over the next 15 years it rebranded a few times before eventually landing on Amazon China, but it struggled to gain market share in the face of giants like Alibaba and JD.com.Amazon China accounted for only 0.9% share of the Chinese market as of August 2018, according to a report by Brazilian financial services firm BNG Pactual. This would make Amazon China the eighth largest seller of goods in the country. Among all countries Amazon has operated in domestically for more than a year, that's by far the worst performance.Alibaba's Tmall has the lion's share of the market with 51.7%, according to BNG, while JD.com follows that with 32.9%.(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin, Brenda Goh, Cate Cadell, Pei Li and Josh Horwitz; editing by Leslie Adler and Meredith Mazzilli)<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/5-biggest-questions-around-amazons-new-grocery-chain?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_campaign=ecommerce_ctgr_leadgen_amazon_grocery_chain"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5cb6282197953a0882285b95" alt="Exclusive FREE Report: The 5 Biggest Questions Around Amazon's Grocery Chain by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="width: 100% !important" /></a>

Amazon is pulling the plug on its domestic business in China after it was soundly beaten by Alibaba

The<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks"> Insider Picks</a> team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c1126b27d51f12e310afb0b-1600/audible 3.jpg" border="0" alt="Audible 3" data-mce-source="Audible" /></a>Audible</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>If you're struggling to find the perfect holiday gift for a lapsed reader in your life, one of the best options is a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gift subscription to Audible.</a></li><li>The service has over 425,000 titles available, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscriptions</a> start at just $15 per month. The person you gift this to will receive one credit per month to use on the audiobook of their choice, plus two free "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/audible-originals-member-benefit-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Audible Originals</a>," which are exclusive, short-form books and stories. </li><li>They'll be able to listen to their audiobooks on their phone, tablet, or computer, and Audible will automatically sync their place so they'll never lose track of their spot. </li><li>The best part is that they'll still have access to their library of Audible books after their <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gift subscription</a> ends, whether they decide to subscribe on their own or not, so there's no pressure.</li></ul>Holiday shopping used to mean going to a store, fighting for a parking spot, hoping what you wanted was in stock, waiting in line, then getting home. Online shopping has turned that nightmare into a couple of clicks you can make in your pajamas from bed.To make things even easier, we've even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/gift-guide-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">done the work of finding the perfect gifts</a> for you.If you're shopping for someone who wished they read more but "doesn't have the time," a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gift subscription to Audible</a> is a very thoughtful choice. Audible's library has over 425,000 titles from every era and genre, so it's likely that many of the titles on their "to read" list are available.Gift <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memberships start at $15</a> for one month, $45 for three months, $90 for six months, and $150 for 12 months. Your giftee will receive one "credit" per month, which they can spend on the book of their choice, plus two free "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/audible-originals-member-benefit-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Audible Originals</a>," which are shorter books and stories exclusive to the service. They'll also get a couple of additional Audible member benefits for the duration of their membership: a 30% discount on all audiobooks, and free audiobook exchanges. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c1118ba211ac62c2b5d1373-1600/audible.jpg" border="0" alt="Audible" data-mce-source="Facebook" /></a>Facebook</div></div></div>Once they've made a book selection, it's extremely easy to start listening whenever and wherever, without losing their spot.They can use the Audible app, which is available on iOS and Android, a built-in Audible player on Amazon's <a href="https://amzn.to/2Eeeok2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fire Tablets</a>, or the <a href="https://amzn.to/2PBAq2l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kindle Paperwhite</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2UDXgK3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kindle Oasis</a>. They'll also have the ability to import Audible books into iTunes, and there's a cloud player on Audible's website. They can even ask an <a href="https://amzn.to/2Eeg1ya" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon Echo</a> to play it.Audible will automatically remember and sync their place between devices, so if your giftee listens to part of a book on their phone during a morning commute, they can pick up exactly where they left off on their office computer.One of the best features of an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Audible subscription</a> is that you don't lose access to your audiobook library when your subscription ends. If the person you gift a subscription to really loves Audible, they can continue <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their subscription</a> immediately. If not, they can continue to listen to the audiobooks as many times as they'd like.This lack of pressure is part of what makes <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Audible subscription</a> such a great gift. The person you gift it to will never feel the pressure of having to continue their subscription, and there are no penalties if they don't.Whether the lapsed reader in your life is worried about not having enough time read, or doesn't have the space to carry around books all the time, an Audible subscription is a wonderful gift that fixes both of their problems. They'll have it with them at all times, and it'll help them turn their downtime into an opportunity to hear an interesting story or learn something new.<h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/gift-membership-detail?tag=biip_121218_audible-two-book-deal-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift an Audible subscription from $15 here &gt;&gt;</a></h3>Looking for more gift ideas? <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/gift-guide-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here</a>.<figure id="img-182779" contenteditable="false" data-type="img" data-e2e-name="image-figure-image" data-media-container="image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2ShjjFn" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></figure><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a> Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

An Audible gift subscription is a thoughtful present for people who love to read - and it starts at $15

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2sRgBdJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1a9ef61ae6624e008b4aa4-1778/amazon package box.jpg" border="0" alt="amazon package box" data-mce-source="John Zeedick/AP Photos" /></a>John Zeedick/AP Photos</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The fifth annual <a href="https://amzn.to/2MdAnca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon Prime Day</a>, Amazon's biggest sale event of the year, will take place sometime in mid-July. </li><li>We answered some frequently asked questions about Prime Day below, including what it is, how to shop deals, what products will be discounted, and how else you can prepare. </li><li>Check back here as the day approaches and we learn more information, or email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com if you have any questions about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/prime-day-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon Prime Day 2019</a>. </li></ul><h2>What exactly is Amazon Prime Day and why does it exist? </h2><a href="https://amzn.to/2MdAnca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prime Day</a> is Amazon's annual retail holiday. It was introduced in 2015 as a one-day only sales event that boasted more deals than Black Friday and also celebrated Amazon's 20th anniversary as a company.Though the first Prime Day was met with some disappointment, subsequent Prime Days have improved in both the quality and quantity of deals, and the event has been made available to more countries outside the US every year. Today, it is a global shopping event where Prime members can shop hundreds of thousands of deals sitewide, with new deals starting as often as every five minutes. <h2>When is Amazon Prime Day this year? </h2><a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=2356911" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noopenernoopener">We don't know yet</a>. Amazon typically announces the official date in late June or early July.In 2018, Prime Day ran from 3 p.m. ET on Monday, July 16 through Tuesday, July 17, so our prediction is that it will be in mid-July again this year and last 36 hours, if not longer. <h2>How do I shop Amazon Prime Day deals? </h2>Deals will be hosted on <a href="https://amzn.to/2XEyni2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this Amazon page</a> on Prime Day. You need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to shop the deals, so if you aren't already, you should <a href="https://amzn.to/2JqThul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign up for a free 30-day trial</a> sometime before Prime Day. <h2>What products will be discounted? </h2>Amazon is offering more than 1 million deals for Prime members around the world. Amazon devices such as <a href="https://amzn.to/2M9U30P" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Echo devices</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2sRVB6S" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fire tablets</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/2LAaToy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kindle e-readers</a> are very likely to be on sale. Prime Day 2018 featured double the deals on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guide-to-amazon-devices-comparison-of-echo-fire-tablets-tv-kindle-paperwhite-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guide-to-amazon-devices-comparison-of-echo-fire-tablets-tv-kindle-paperwhite-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> devices</a> and the biggest deals yet on Alexa-enabled products like the <a href="https://amzn.to/2kUIcqO" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noopenernoopener">Echo</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2u32wKQ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noopenernoopener">Fire TV</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/2Mccq5k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noopenernoopener">Fire tablets</a>. We wouldn't be surprised if they improved on these deals in 2019. Amazon's 12 newest devices, introduced in late 2018, may also be on sale. Outside of physical device deals, expect deals on Amazon services and memberships like entertainment (Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Music Unlimited, Prime Video, Audible, etc.) and grocery shopping (Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry, <a href="https://amzn.to/2XGx42r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whole Foods</a>, etc.).Other things we expect to have good deals are smart home accessories, phones, computers, cameras, TVs, fitness accessories, kitchen appliances, and beauty tools. These were the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-amazon-prime-day-deals-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best deals across all categories on Amazon Prime Day 2018</a>, and we think similar deals are in the works for Prime Day 2019. <h2>What did people buy on Prime Day last year? </h2>The most popular purchase of the event was the <a href="https://amzn.to/2GCbwOz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote</a>. The <a href="https://amzn.to/2Gw1WeT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon Cloud Cam</a> was the best-selling security camera deal in Amazon history, while the Amazon-owned security company Ring also had a great day, selling out its <a href="https://amzn.to/2GEwtIY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video Doorbell Pro</a>. Outside of Amazon devices, Prime members around the world loved everything from video game consoles to DNA tests. In the US and Canada, top sellers included the <a href="https://amzn.to/2HxRS3q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instant Pot</a>.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-day-most-popular-products-what-people-bought-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Among Insider Picks readers specifically</a>, the $1 <a href="https://amzn.to/2GBniZN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kindle Unlimited membership</a> was the clear winner. Noise-cancelling headphones from <a href="https://amzn.to/2IDe8xP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sony</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2GCQG1D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bose</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/2GB75nk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sennheiser</a>, and <a href="https://amzn.to/2IC2mE8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LifeStraw</a> personal water filters were also popular buys on Amazon Prime Day 2018. <h2>Is Amazon the only place I should shop during Prime Day? </h2>No. A growing number of competing online retailers are advertising their summer sales in direct relation to Amazon's Prime Day. Internet-wide, you can expect a lot of great deals during the month of July as retailers all compete to offer the lowest prices. That makes shopping online more overwhelming, but ultimately more rewarding if you're able to hone in on the most valuable deals. <h2>Where can I find the best deals on Prime Day? </h2>Insider Picks will be covering the best overall deals, as well as the best tech deals, home and kitchen appliance deals, fitness deals, and more, right here, so you can avoid the perils of overwhelming choice mentioned above. Let us do the work for you, and check back to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider Picks page</a> on Amazon Prime Day to find full coverage of the deals you should be focusing on. <h2>What are other ways I can get ready for Prime Day? </h2>Download the free Amazon app (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amazon-shopping-made-easy/id297606951?mt=8&amp;at=1001loVS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iOS</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping&amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Android</a>), and you can:<ul><li>Get phone notifications when a deal is starting. Go to "Today's Deals" in the app and click "Upcoming" to view all deals 24 hours before they are live. Then tap "Watch this Deal."</li><li>Get a sneak peek of select products that will have deals by tapping the Prime Day banner within the app in the week before Prime Day. </li></ul>If you have any additional questions about Prime Day 2019, email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com and we'll do our best to find the answer for you. <h2>Check out all of our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/prime-day-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon Prime Day 2019</a> coverage: </h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-amazon-prime-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is Amazon Prime Day? Everything you need to know and what to expect this July</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-day-faq-news-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-day-faq-news-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-is-amazon-prime-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">When is Amazon Prime Day? Our prediction and preparation guide</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-do-you-get-a-lightning-deal-on-amazon-prime-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here's how to successfully get a Lightning Deal during Amazon Prime Day 2019 </a></li></ul><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a> Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

Everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2019

<ul><li><keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword> released his final <keyword id="7360448" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shareholder-letter">shareholder letter</keyword> as <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>'s CEO this month.</li><li>Bezos has written 24 letters in total, covering topics such as invention and failure.</li><li>Scroll down for the best quotes from Bezos' letters.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">See more stories on Insider's business page</a>.</li></ul>Jeff Bezos <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-shareholder-letter-advice-vows-help-workers-2021-4-1030318214">recently published</a> his 24th and final annual letter to Amazon shareholders as the company's CEO.The <keyword id="35621" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> group's founder and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-to-step-down-as-amazon-ceo-2021-2">future executive chairman</a> has shared his views on invention, failure, customer obsession, long-term thinking, and other subjects in his yearly missives. He's also reflected on what he's learned as Amazon's leader, and what others can take away from his company's phenomenal success.<h2>Here are Bezos' 25 best quotes from his shareholder letters, lightly edited and condensed for clarity:</h2>1. "This is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-says-always-day-1-amazon-philosophy-2019-12?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest">Day 1</a> for the Internet and, if we execute well, for Amazon.com." (1997)2. "It's not easy to work here (when I interview people I tell them, 'You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon.com you can't choose two out of three'), but we are working to build something important, something that matters to our customers, something that we can all tell our grandchildren about. Such things aren't meant to be easy." (1997)3. "There is no rest for the weary. I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified. Not of our competition, but of our customers. We consider them to be loyal to us - right up until the second that someone else offers them a better service." (1998)4. "We are doubly blessed. We have a market-size unconstrained opportunity in an area where the underlying foundational technology we employ improves every day. That is not normal." (1999)5. "As the famed investor Benjamin Graham said, 'In the short term, the stock market is a voting machine; in the long term, it's a weighing machine.' Clearly there was a lot of voting going on in the boom year of '99 - and much less weighing. We have our heads down working to build a heavier and heavier company." (2000)6. "Long-term thinking is both a requirement and an outcome of true ownership. Owners are different from tenants. I know of a couple who rented out their house, and the family who moved in nailed their Christmas tree to the hardwood floors instead of using a tree stand. Expedient, I suppose, and admittedly these were particularly bad tenants, but no owner would be so short-sighted. Similarly, many investors are effectively short-term tenants, turning their portfolios so quickly they are really just renting the stocks that they temporarily 'own.'" (2003)7. "We started by setting ourselves the admittedly audacious goal of improving upon the physical book. We did not choose that goal lightly. Anything that has persisted in roughly the same form and resisted change for 500 years is unlikely to be improved easily." (2007) - on Amazon's decision to create the Kindle e-reader.8. "Missionaries build better products." (2007)9. "At a fulfillment center recently, one of our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/productivity-tips-japan-kaizen-tidying-up-2019-1">Kaizen</a> experts asked me, 'I'm in favor of a clean fulfillment center, but why are you cleaning? Why don't you eliminate the source of dirt?' I felt like the Karate Kid." (2008)10. "Start with customers, and work backwards. Listen to customers, but don't just listen to customers - also invent on their behalf." (2009)11. "Our passion for pioneering will drive us to explore narrow passages, and, unavoidably, many will turn out to be blind alleys. But - with a bit of good fortune - there will also be a few that open up into broad avenues." (2012)12. "A dreamy business offering has at least four characteristics. Customers love it, it can grow to very large size, it has strong returns on capital, and it's durable in time - with the potential to endure for decades. When you find one of these, don't just swipe right, get married." (2014)13. "Our business model for original content is unique. I'm pretty sure we're the first company to have figured out how to make winning a Golden Globe pay off in increased sales of power tools and baby wipes!" (2014)14. "Failure and invention are inseparable twins. To invent you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it's going to work, it's not an experiment." (2015)15. "Outsized returns often come from betting against conventional wisdom, and conventional wisdom is usually right. Given a 10% chance of a 100 times payoff, you should take that bet every time. But you're still going to be wrong nine times out of 10. We all know that if you swing for the fences, you're going to strike out a lot, but you're also going to hit some home runs. The difference between baseball and business, however, is that no matter how well you connect with the ball, the most runs you can get is four. In business, every once in a while, when you step up to the plate, you can score 1,000 runs. This long-tailed distribution of returns is why it's important to be bold. Big winners pay for so many experiments." (2015)16. "No matter how good an entrepreneur you are, you're not going to build an all-composite 787 in your garage startup - not one you'd want to fly in anyway. (2015) - on the power of scale.17. "Many characterized AWS as a bold - and unusual - bet when we started. 'What does this have to do with selling books?' We could have stuck to the knitting. I'm glad we didn't. Or did we? Maybe the knitting has as much to do with our approach as the arena." (2015) - suggesting Amazon applied the same strategy to cloud services as it did to <keyword id="6412937" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="online-retail">online retail</keyword>.18. "Our growth has happened fast. 20 years ago, I was driving boxes to the post office in my Chevy Blazer and dreaming of a forklift." (2016)19. "Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight. A customer-obsessed culture best creates the conditions where all of that can happen." (2016)20. "One thing I love about customers is that they are divinely discontent. Their expectations are never static - they go up. It's human nature. We didn't ascend from our hunter-gatherer days by being satisfied. People have a voracious appetite for a better way, and yesterday's 'wow' quickly becomes today's 'ordinary.'" (2017)21. "The biggest needle-movers will be things that customers don't know to ask for. We have to tap into our own inner imagination about what's possible." (2018)22. "If you had gone to a customer in 2013 and said, 'Would you like a black, always-on cylinder in your kitchen about the size of a Pringles can that you can talk to and ask questions, that also turns on your lights and plays music?' I guarantee you they'd have looked at you strangely and said 'No, thank you.'" - underscoring that customers didn't know they wanted Amazon Echo smart speakers until their release. (2018)23. "If you want to be successful in business (in life, actually), you have to create more than you consume. Your goal should be to create value for everyone you interact with. Any business that doesn't create value for those it touches, even if it appears successful on the surface, isn't long for this world. It's on the way out." (2020)24. "We all know that distinctiveness - originality - is valuable. We are all taught to 'be yourself.' What I'm really asking you to do is to embrace and be realistic about how much energy it takes to maintain that distinctiveness. The world wants you to be typical - in a thousand ways, it pulls at you. Don't let it happen." (2020)25. "Be kind, be original, create more than you consume, and never, never, never let the universe smooth you into your surroundings. It remains Day 1." (2020)

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos championed invention, failure, and customer obsession in his 24 shareholder letters. Here are the 25 best quotes.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6a1bdf5c5e52e3568b4b35-1277/oracle.png" border="0" alt="Oracle" data-mce-source="Oracle" />OracleOracle CTO Larry Ellison took jabs at Amazon from stage on Tuesday.</div></div></div><ul><li>Oracle founder Larry Ellison said "it's kind of embarrassing" for Amazon that it uses Oracle's databases to power its own business - especially considering Amazon offers its own databases that compete with Oracle's. </li><li>Ellison was responding to a report from last week that Amazon intends to get off of Oracle's products completely by 2020. </li><li>While Amazon is a customer of Oracle's, they are also bitter competitors, thanks to the success of Amazon Web Services.</li></ul><hr />Oracle founder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison went on stage Tuesday to announce a new database feature. But it wasn't long before Ellison did what he seems to love doing at big events: roasting Amazon.Last week, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/01/amazon-plans-to-move-off-oracle-software-by-early-2020.html">CNBC reported</a> that Amazon plans to end its internal reliance on Oracle technology, which underlies some parts of its business. It's notable, because Amazon's market-leading Amazon Web Services cloud has been attacking Oracle's core database business for the last few years. Ellison offered his thoughts on the report, saying that other Oracle competitors like SAP and Salesforce.com have tried their own, similar moves, and none of them succeeded. In fact, he all but accused Amazon of hypocrisy for selling their own database products to customers, while relying on Oracle's own databases to run its own business. "It's kind of embarrassing when Amazon uses Oracle but they want you to use Aurora and Redshift," Ellison said, referring to Amazon Web Services' database and data warehousing products. "They've had 10 years to get off Oracle, and they're still on Oracle." Amazon recently spent $60 million on Oracle databases, a figure <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-oracle-databases-reliance-2018-8">which Oracle shared last week</a> in the wake of the CNBC report.And Ellison says that he still has at least a little love for Amazon: He quipped that he just bought a new Amazon Kindle e-book reader. Beyond poking at Oracle's biggest competitors, Ellison announced Tuesday that the company's nearly one-year-old Autonomous Database can now do so-called Autonomous Transaction Processing, or ATP. Oracle's Autonomous Database uses machine learning to do routine database management, historically performed by humans. With the new ATP features, the Autonomous Database can now "support a complex mix of high-performance transactions, reporting, batch, IoT, and machine learning in a single database, allowing for simpler application development and deployment, and enabling real-time analytics, personalization, and fraud detection on live transactional data," in Oracle's own words.Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/science-marry-your-cousin-safe-genetics-2018-7">Is marrying your cousin actually dangerous?</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/kV8SXy3n-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Oracle founder Larry Ellison says its 'embarrassing' for Amazon that it relies so heavily on Oracle's technology

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59bc219038d20d3c098b6b68-2000/cassini-huygens-spacecraft-testing-nasa-jpl-psd-lpi.jpg" alt="cassini huygens spacecraft testing nasa jpl psd lpi" data-mce-source="NASA/JPL-Caltech" data-mce-caption="The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft undergoing thermal testing in 1996." data-link="https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/" /><a href="https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/cassini-orbiter/">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a>The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft undergoing thermal testing in 1996.</div></div></div>After 13 years of orbiting Saturn and its moons, NASA's bus-size Cassini probe is now <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-cassini-probe-destroyed-by-saturn-2017-9">a puff of radioactive vapor</a> in the planet's swirling clouds.Space agency leaders knew this day would come since 2010, when they decided to empty Cassini's tanks to continue exploring Saturn as long as possible.Without a means of controlling the probe, they reasoned, Cassini had to be destroyed. This would prevent it crashing into Saturn's icy moons Enceladus and Titan - which hide vast, salty, global oceans that may be habitable to alien life - since Cassini left Earth contaminated with small amounts of bacteria.To honor the more than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cassini-spacecraft-images-last-ever-taken-2017-9">453,000 photos</a> Cassini took of Saturn, its rings, moons, and other objects, several NASA divisions worked together to select its 100 greatest visuals. Those have been turned into a 110-page ebook, titled "<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/the-saturn-system.html">The Saturn System Through the Eyes of Cassini</a>", which is free to download for <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/the_saturn_system_0.ibooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iBooks</a>, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/the_saturn_system_ebook.mobi" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kindles</a>, and <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/the_saturn_system_ebook.epub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other ebook readers </a>(and just as a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/the_saturn_system_090817.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PDF</a>)."While these images represent the tip of the iceberg - each telling a story about Saturn and its mysterious moons - our hope is that the mission will inspire future artists and explorers," NASA wrote in a press release. "The sheer beauty of these images is surpassed only by the <keyword id="41551" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> and discoveries they represent."Jim Green, NASA's head of planetary science, wrote the forward to the collection of pictures."This book is the first chapter of what I predict will be the greatest story ever told: how humans reached for the stars and discovered life beyond Earth," Green said.Here's a small collection of the best images and what they reveal.

NASA picked the 100 greatest images of Saturn from its Cassini mission - here are some of the best

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51015ef169beddd047000010-620-465/jeff-bezos-20.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Jeff Bezos" width="480" />AP</div></div>Since starting out as an online bookseller in 1998, <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>.co.uk has expanded year on year and now offers customers more than 100 million items in over 30 product categories, ranging from health and beauty to sportswear and groceries.
The company's phenomenal growth is due in part to its technological innovation. From Amazon 1-Click, which dramatically speeds up the ordering process, to Recommendations, which determines customers' interests by examining their previous purchases and rated items, Amazon has been focused on making the online shopping experience as seamless as possible.
"Innovation is part of the Amazon DNA and over the past 15 years we have been constantly adding and refining technology that enhances and improves the experience of all our customers," said Xavier Garambois, Vice President of EU Retail at Amazon.
"Our focus has always been on providing services that help customers find the right product for them, and then ensuring that ordering and delivery is a fast and seamless process. There are now eight fulfilment centres across the UK where tens of millions of products are readily available to be delivered to customers via processes that not only rely on great technology but also teams of great people."
Garambois added that Amazon technology is also providing platforms for UK businesses and individuals to drive success.
"The Amazon Marketplace allows thousands of UK businesses to sell their products to customers across the UK and all over Europe whilst programmes like Kindle Direct Publishing are providing independent authors with a shop window of millions of readers."
To celebrate Amazon UK's 15th birthday, The Telegraph takes a look at some of the company's greatest technological advances over the past 15 years:
1-Click
1-Click is a fast and easy way to order from Amazon.co.uk with one click of a button. 1-Click is automatically enabled after the customer places their first order with Amazon.co.uk. You can set 1-Click so that it remembers key details such as delivery addresses.
Recommendations
Amazon.co.uk determines customers' interests by examining the items they've purchased, items they've told Amazon they own, and items they've rated. Their activity is then compared with that of other customers on the site. Using this comparison, Amazon.co.uk is able to recommend other items that may interest them.
Reviews
Customers can submit written or video reviews for any product listed on Amazon.co.uk to help other customers make purchase decisions. Customers are encouraged to share their opinions, both favourable and unfavourable as Amazon.co.uk wants customers to get the information they need to make smart buying choices.
Amazon Wish List
Amazon Wish List is a personalised list of all the things that customers would love to own from the Amazon.co.uk website. With Universal Wish List, customers can now add products from any website to their Amazon Wish List with one click. Friends and family are able to view the list and use it to purchase the perfect present.
Autorip
Amazon AutoRip gives customers free MP3 versions of CDs and vinyl music they purchase from Amazon. When customers purchase AutoRip CDs and vinyl, the MP3 versions are automatically added to their Cloud Player libraries where they are available, free of charge, for immediate playback or download.
Additionally, customers who have purchased AutoRip albums at any time since Amazon.co.uk first opened its Music Store in 1999 will find MP3 versions of those albums in their Cloud Player libraries - also automatically and for free. More than 350,000 albums, including titles from every major record label, are available for AutoRip, and more titles are added all the time - customers can just look for the AutoRip logo.
Kindle
Kindle is the bestselling e-reader family and this September, Amazon.co.uk launched the All New Paperwhite - the sixth generation of Kindle. The Kindle Fire family of tablets also launched in 2012 - the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD 7", followed by the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" in 2013.
Print on demand / disc on demand
To avoid keeping stocks high, less commonly requested items can be printed or made on demand. This process takes place at the fulfilment centre and takes just minutes to complete. Orders can then be processed as normal. The finished item looks almost identical to the original book / disc.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services enables web developers to integrate Amazon.co.uk features and content into their websites. AWS provides start-up companies with low-cost, easy to use infrastructure needed to scale and grow any size business.
Amazon Cloud Drive
Amazon Cloud Drive lets customers securely store their digital files in the Amazon cloud and access them anywhere using the Cloud Drive desktop client or any web browser. Amazon customers automatically start with 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, with additional storage available from £6 a year for 20 GB.
Amazon Cloud Drive is built on Amazon Web Services, so customers need not worry about losing their photo collection or important documents to a hard drive crash.
Random Stow
The storage of items in a randomised order at fulfilment centres to maximise the chance of multiple items on the same order being near each other. The fulfilment centre management system knows the location of every item and is able to work out the shortest travel distance to pick the orders.
The SLAM (Scan, Label, Apply, Manifest)
At the end of the packing process, packages move along conveyor belts to the SLAM where the package is weighed to ensure it is the anticipated weight (and that therefore the right items are inside). The SLAM also scans the barcode on the package and prints and adds an address label to the package.
This ensures customer confidentiality, as this is the first time that a customer's address is matched up with their package. The whole process takes less than 1 second per package.
Amazon Storyteller
Amazon Storyteller is a new application from Amazon Studios that lets you turn a movie script into a storyboard. You choose the backgrounds, characters, and props to visually tell a story. A successful storyboard can tell the full story of a script, or capture its essence in short form, like a trailer. The idea is to build an audience for your story and see how people respond to it.
Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is the original movie and series production arm of Amazon. Amazon Studios is developing feature films and episodic series in a new way; one that's open to great ideas from creators - and audiences - around the world.
KDP
Kindle and Kindle Direct Publishing is revolutionising the books world by giving authors the opportunity to publish their books and earn a larger share of revenue with Amazon.co.uk's 70 per cent option. Many authors are using this as a way to get their books in the hands of readers across Europe.
Mechanical Turk
A crowdsourcing Internet marketplace that enables individuals or businesses (known as Requesters) to co-ordinate the use of human intelligence to perform tasks that computers are currently unable to do.
The Requesters are able to post tasks such as choosing the best among several photographs of a store-front, writing product descriptions, or identifying performers on music CDs. Workers (called Providers in Mechanical Turk's Terms of Service, or, more colloquially, Turkers) can then browse among existing tasks and complete them for a monetary payment set by the Requester.
<img class="nc_pixel" src="http://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT0yNjU5ZGE3MjFkMjNjNzAyZGVkOTNjMDYwZjI2ZmNjNyZvd25lcj1hZWE2NjI4NzUzY2RjZGMzMjhkOTkzM2MwZTIwZDU4YyZub25jZT02NzQ5Mzc1MS0xMGMxLTQ2MDYtOGU4NC1mOTk0MmQ2ZWYxYWUmcHVibGlzaGVyPThjMDBmYmVlNjFkNWJjZjBjNjA5MmQ4YjkyZWJiY2Ex" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

The Innovations That Took Amazon From Online Bookseller To Dominant Global Marketplace

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Michael Seto/Business Insider" title_caption="Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos " class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54c7b0df69bedd186987fe1f-960/jeff-bezos-290.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54c7b0df69bedd186987fe1f-649-486/jeff-bezos-290.jpg" border="0" alt="Jeff Bezos " /></a>Michael Seto/Business InsiderAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos </div></div></div>Amazon's shopping membership program, Amazon Prime, might be an even bigger catalyst to the company's sales than previously thought, <a href="https://files.ctctcdn.com/150f9af2201/bf283d9e-4cbb-4306-8645-b2dc9a16d805.pdf">according to a new analysis from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners</a>.
Prime costs $99 a year and gives customers free, two-day shipping on millions of items, as well as access to of thousands of free TV shows, movies, music, and books and unlimited cloud storage for photos. 
A oft-quoted <a href="https://rbcnew.bluematrix.com/docs/pdf/1d9b1041-3977-4a12-a89b-d358f2ab6c66.pdf">2014 study from RBC Capital</a> showed that Prime members spend nearly twice as much on Amazon as non-Prime members do, but CIRP has upped the ante. After surveying 500 Amazon shoppers, analysts concluded Prime members spend more than double what non-members do. 
"Amazon Prime now has 40 million US members, spending on average about $1,500 per year, compared to about $625 per year for non-members," the report reads. 
The study also found 39% of Amazon customers own a Kindle tablet or e-reader, 7% own a Kindle Fire TV box or stick, and less than 1% own an Amazon Fire smartphone. 
"Similar to Amazon Prime members, Amazon Kindle owners are better customers," says Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "They also shop more frequently, and also buy more expensive items on average. It is too early to measure the purchasing propensity of Amazon Fire TV owners, and at this point there are far too few Amazon Fire phone owners to matter."
Amazon has spent the last year amping up its digital offerings for Amazon Prime, including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-amazon-will-lose-so-much-money-in-q3-2014-7">spending more than $100 million on original video content exclusive to Prime members</a>. Amazon wants to beef up Prime's offerings specifically because of figures like the one from CIRP: The company banks on the fact that when it hooks people into its Prime ecosystem, it will make more money from their increased shopping. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="CIRP" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54c7adbb69bedde45f87fe1e-960/screen shot 2015-01-27 at 10.24.05 am.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54c7adbb69bedde45f87fe1e-998-425/screen shot 2015-01-27 at 10.24.05 am.png" border="0" alt="Chart Amazon" /></a><a href="https://files.ctctcdn.com/150f9af2201/bf283d9e-4cbb-4306-8645-b2dc9a16d805.pdf">CIRP</a></div></div></div>Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his
personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Amazon Prime Members May Spend More Than Double What Non-Members Do

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51798ec469beddbf49000008-4834-3625/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-9.jpg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos" width="400" /></div>Associated Press</div><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> just reported first quarter <keyword id="6357061" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="earnings">earnings</keyword> of $0.18 per share.
Analysts were expecting the company to report $0.10 EPS.
Revenues were a little light at $16.07 billion (versus $16.14 billion expected by analysts).
The company offered revenue guidance for the second quarter in the range of $14.5 to $16.2 billion. Analysts' average estimate was $15.92 billion.
Operating income came in at $181 million versus expectations for $96.8 million.
Shares are flat in after-hours trading.
Below is the full text from the release:
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Amazon.com, Inc. (<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=amzn">AMZN</a>) today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2013.
Operating cash flow increased 39% to $4.25 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $3.05 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2012. Free cash flow decreased 85% to $177 million for the trailing twelve months, compared with $1.15 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2012. Free cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2013 includes fourth quarter 2012 cash outflows for purchases of corporate office space and property in Seattle, Washington, of $1.4 billion.
Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 471 million on March 31, 2013, compared with 464 million one year ago.
Net sales increased 22% to $16.07 billion in the first quarter, compared with $13.18 billion in first quarter 2012. Excluding the $302 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales grew 24% compared with first quarter 2012.
Operating income decreased 6% to $181 million in the first quarter, compared with $192 million in first quarter 2012. The unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter on operating income was $12 million.
Net income decreased 37% to $82 million in the first quarter, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared with $130 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in first quarter 2012.
“Amazon Studios is working on a new way to greenlight TV shows. The pilots are out in the open where everyone can have a say,” said <keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword>, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “I have my personal picks and so do members of the Amazon Studios team, but the exciting thing about our approach is that our opinions don’t matter. Our customers will determine what goes into full-season production. We hope Amazon Originals can become yet another way for us to create value for Prime members.”
Highlights
<ul style="padding-left: 30px;">
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon.com expanded selection for Prime Instant Video, announcing new licensing agreements with A+E Networks, CBS Corporation, FX, PBS Distribution and Scripps Networks Interactive, bringing exclusive access to popular television series such as Downton Abbey, Justified and Under the Dome as well as shows from HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Travel Channel. Prime Instant Video now includes more than 38,000 movies and TV episodes that are available for Prime members to watch at no additional charge.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon Studios, the original film and series production arm of Amazon.com, debuted 14 original comedy and kids pilots. The pilots, which feature stars such as John Goodman, Jeffrey Tambor and Bebe Neuwirth, are available exclusively at <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazonoriginals.com&amp;esheet=50616840&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.amazonoriginals.com&amp;index=1&amp;md5=12b6d7ae95c1c698ef81525ee5b3c2f2">www.amazonoriginals.com</a> and on the Amazon Instant Video app for Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, as well as hundreds of other connected devices. Viewer feedback will help determine which pilots Amazon Studios will produce into full series.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon expanded the popular Kindle Fire feature “X-Ray for Movies” to TV shows, bringing the power of IMDb directly to the most popular TV shows on Kindle Fire. With a single tap viewers can discover the names of actors and what they've been in, without even leaving the TV show.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Kindle Owners’ Lending Library has grown to over 300,000 books available to borrow for free as frequently as a book a month, including many titles exclusive to Amazon.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon announced the launch of the Amazon MP3 store optimized specifically for Safari browser. For the first time ever, iPhone and iPod touch users can discover and buy digital music from Amazon’s 22 million song catalog. Amazon also announced its Cloud Player app for iPad and iPad mini, enabling customers to play or download music stored in Cloud Player to their device, play music that is already stored on their device, and manage or create playlists.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon announced it has extended its popular AutoRip services to vinyl records. AutoRip provides customers with free MP3 versions of CDs and vinyl records they purchase from Amazon. Additionally, customers who have purchased AutoRip CDs or vinyl records at any time since Amazon first opened its Music Store in 1998 will find MP3 versions of those albums in their Cloud Player libraries – also automatically for free.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon announced the launch of Kindle Fire HD 8.9” — the large-screen version of its best-selling tablet —for the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. With the expansion of Kindle Fire HD 8.9” to Europe and Japan, Amazon also announced a lower price on Kindle Fire HD 8.9” in the U.S., with the Wi-Fi version starting at $269 and the 4G version starting at $399.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon Publishing, the publishing arm of Amazon.com, announced that it will start paying authors their royalties monthly, 60 days in arrears — allowing authors to receive payment more frequently than the twice-a-year industry standard.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon acquired Goodreads, a leading site for readers and book recommendations that helps people find and share books they love. Goodreads members can discover new books by seeing what their friends are reading or by using the Goodreads Book Recommendation Engine; share ratings and recommendations; track what they have read, and list what they want to read.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of Amazon Redshift, a fast and powerful, fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse service in the cloud for a fraction of the cost of a traditional data warehouse.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">AWS launched AWS OpsWorks, an application management solution for the complete lifecycle of complex applications, including resource provisioning, configuration management, deployment, monitoring, and access control.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">AWS announced Amazon Elastic Transcoder, a highly scalable service for transcoding video files between different digital media formats. Amazon Elastic Transcoder manages all aspects of the transcoding process transparently and automatically, providing scalability and performance by leveraging AWS services.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">AWS announced AWS CloudHSM, a new service enabling customers to increase data security and meet compliance requirements by using dedicated Hardware Security Module (HSM) appliances within the AWS Cloud. The CloudHSM service allows customers to securely generate, store and manage cryptographic keys used for data encryption in a way that keys are accessible only by the customer.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">AWS has lowered prices 31 times since it launched in 2006, including 7 price reductions so far in 2013.</li>
</ul>
Financial Guidance
The following forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of April 25, 2013. Our results are inherently unpredictable and may be materially affected by many factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in global economic conditions and consumer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet and online commerce and the various factors detailed below.
Second Quarter 2013 Guidance
<ul style="padding-left: 30px;">
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Net sales are expected to be between $14.5 billion and $16.2 billion, or to grow between 13% and 26% compared with second quarter 2012.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">Operating income (loss) is expected to be between $(340) million and $10 million, compared to $107 million in the comparable prior year period.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb" style="padding-left: 30px;">This guidance includes approximately $340 million for stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets, and it assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, or legal settlements are concluded and that there are no further revisions to stock-based compensation estimates.</li>
</ul>
A conference call will be webcast live today at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, and will be available for at least three months at <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fir&amp;esheet=50616840&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=www.amazon.com%2Fir&amp;index=2&amp;md5=d20b1fc11489e0e5bbd0286a0d378607">www.amazon.com/ir</a>. This call will contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the Company’s financial and operating results.
<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-com-announces-first-quarter-200000262.html">Click here for the full release &gt;</a>Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his
personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Amazon Beats On Earnings, Revenue Comes In Light

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/526ed82e69bedd81168b456f-987-740/mavericks-desktop.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Mavericks desktop" width="480" />Business Insider/Julie BortiBooks and Maps in <keyword id="218065" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mavericks">Mavericks</keyword></div></div>Over the weekend my two-year-old MacBook Pro laptop got a makeover with <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>'s new, free Maverick's operating system.
I was previously using Lion.
The upgrade was easy. The only hard part was how many hours it took to download. More than three. I stopped checking after that and went to bed. In the morning the OS was downloaded and ready to be installed.
It took about another hour to install it. I backed up my critical files before installing, but that wasn't a problem. All of my files were there after Mavericks was installed.
The only heart-attack moment I had was when iPhoto told me it was dead, and couldn't be used with the new OS. I use iPhoto a lot for work, to edit multiple images quickly.
But that panic didn't last long. Turns out that I just had to manually upgrade iPhoto (and iMovie) by going to the App Store and telling it to install the new versions.
Once the new iPhoto was installed, all of my Albums were imported and all the photos were fine.
I have to say, most of the new features of Mavericks are with apps I don't use much: Safari got an overhaul but I usually use Firefox or Chrome. The new Safari did seem faster. It lets you easily scroll through your open tabs, which is great. Maybe I'll start using it more.
The biggest change I noticed was the an icon at the top bar that shows calendar items, and lets you chat. It's not especially useful for me since I use the cloud versions of Gmail and Calendar, not Apple's.
There are some new options in Finder that I'll find useful. Tag any file with any keyword. You can also tag them with a colored dot and find related files that way.
One new app is a book reader. It's nice but I use a Kindle and that means I use Kindle apps on all my devices. It's not comfortable to curl up with a Macbook Pro anyway.
There's also a new Apple Maps app that I need to play with. It has the ability to send maps to other users via Airdrop, a wireless way of connecting with other Apple devices. I use Google Maps on my phone but I'm willing to give Maps a try (as long as it doesn't get me lost).
My favorite part is that the OS seems to be faster with fewer "beach balls." This <keyword id="62949" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="MaC">Mac</keyword> tends to overheat and slow down at the end of my workday, after a full-day of pounding on the Internet. That hasn't happened since I upgraded, so even if I don't use all the new features, I'm happy.
Here are step-by-step <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-upgrade-your-mac-to-mavericks-2013-10">instructions on how to upgrade</a>.

I Upgraded My MacBook Pro To Apple's New Mavericks Operating System And It Was Easy

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/544958a169bedd996d5ad037-1200-924/jeff-bezos-219.jpg" border="0" alt="Jeff Bezos">ReutersAmazon's Jeff Bezos</img></div></div></div>Amazon just reported its Q3 earnings. 
Here are the numbers:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li2">EPS: -$0.95 (analysts were expecting a loss of $0.74).</li>
<li class="li2">Revenues: $20.58 billion (analysts were expecting $20.84 billion). That's an increase of 20% year-over-year.</li>
</ul>
This is a miss on both the top and bottom line.
 
Operating loss was $544 million in the third quarter (the company had predicted between $410 and $810 million). The company reported an operating loss guidance of between $430 million and $570 million for Q4.
The stock is down nearly 8% after-hours. 
Operating cash flow increased 15% year-over-year to $5.71 billion and free cash flow increased to $1.08 billion.
Here's the full report:
<blockquote class="blockquote">
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2014.
Operating cash flow increased 15% to $5.71 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $4.98 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2013. Free cash flow increased to$1.08 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $388 million for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2013. Free cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2013 includes cash outflows for purchases of corporate office space and property in Seattle, Washington, of $1.4 billion.
Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 481 million on September 30, 2014, compared with 475 million one year ago.
Net sales increased 20% to $20.58 billion in the third quarter, compared with $17.09 billion in third quarter 2013. The favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter on net sales was $13 million.
Operating loss was $544 million in the third quarter, compared with operating loss of $25 million in third quarter 2013.
Net loss was $437 million in the third quarter, or $0.95 per diluted share, compared with net loss of $41 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, in third quarter 2013.
"As we get ready for this upcoming holiday season, we are focused on making the customer experience easier and more stress-free than ever," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "In addition to our already low prices, we will offer more than 15,000 Lightning Deals with early access to select deals for Prime members, hundreds of millions of products across dozens of categories, curated gift lists like Holiday Toy List and Electronics Holiday Gift Guide, new features like #AmazonWishList, and a great new lineup of products like Kindle Voyage and Fire HD Kids Edition. And if you order your gifts on AmazonSmile, we'll donate a percentage of your purchase price to your favorite charity."
Highlights
<ul>
<li>Amazon announced the new Kindle Voyage, our thinnest, most advanced Kindle ever. Kindle Voyage has our highest resolution, highest contrast, and brightest display, reimagined page turns, and all of the features customers love about Kindle - books in seconds, no eyestrain or glare, readability in bright sunlight, and battery life measured in weeks, not hours. Amazon also launched the all-new $79 Kindle with a 20% faster processor, twice the storage, and new touch interface. Both e-readers feature customer favorites Kindle FreeTime, Goodreads, and Smart Lookup, plus new features like Word Wise, Family Library, FreeTime Unlimited, and more. These features will also be made available on Kindle Paperwhite as part of a free, over-the-air software update.</li>
<li>Amazon introduced the all-new Fire HD - the most powerful tablet under $100. Fire HD features a quad-core processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, an HD display, incredible reliability, and a world-class ecosystem of exclusive features, services, and content. Fire HD is available in five color choices and in 6" and 7" sizes.</li>
<li>Amazon introduced Fire HD Kids Edition, the first tablet built from the ground up for kids and parents, and featuring the first-ever 2-year worry-free guarantee - if anything happens, Amazonwill replace it for free, no questions asked. Fire HD Kids Edition is a real tablet, not a toy - it features a quad-core processor, a vivid HD display, front- and rear-facing cameras, Dolby Digital Audio, a kid-proof case, and access to Amazon's unmatched content ecosystem. Fire HD Kids Edition also comes with a year of FreeTime Unlimited, which provides unlimited access to 5,000 age-appropriate books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games.</li>
<li>Amazon introduced the all-new Fire HDX 8.9, which combines a startlingly light design and stunning HDX display with a new, more powerful processor, exclusive Dolby Atmos and the latest Dolby Audio, and the all-new Fire OS 4 "Sangria," Amazon's next-generation software and services that power Amazon Fire devices.</li>
<li>Amazon Fire TV is now the best-selling streaming box on Amazon for the U.S., U.K., and Germany.</li>
<li>Amazon Game Studios unveiled its latest round of games launching this year exclusively on Amazon Fire tablets and Fire phone - Til Morning's Light, CreepStorm, and Tales From Deep Space. These are creative, hand-crafted games that are fun to play, deliver interesting new customer experiences, and utilize exclusive Amazon content and technology, such as Fire phone's Dynamic Perspective, Amazon AppStream, and comiXology.</li>
<li>Amazon announced that all 10 episodes of the critically-acclaimed dark comedy series Transparent are now available for Prime Instant Video customers in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. Since its debut, Transparent is the #1 ranked TV series on Prime Instant Video. Also proving popular with critics, the new show clocked in a near perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% critic rating, and a 91 metascore on Metacritic, making Transparent one of TV's top three highest-ranked, currently-airing shows.</li>
<li>Amazon announced it will premiere all 10 episodes of the second season of Garry Trudeau's critically-acclaimed political comedy series Alpha House exclusively on Prime Instant Video starting tomorrow. Additionally, two more original pilots, dramatic thriller Hand of God and coming-of-age comedy Red Oaks, will return for full seasons following rave customer reviews.Amazon Studios has also greenlit five additional kids pilots for 2015: The Stinky &amp; Dirty Show, Buddy: Tech Detective, Niko and the Sword of Light, Table 58, and Just Add Magic.</li>
<li>Amazon launched KDP Kids and Kindle Kids' Book Creator to help children's book authors prepare, publish, and promote both illustrated and chapter books in Kindle Stores worldwide.</li>
<li>Amazon acquired Twitch Interactive, Inc. With an average of over 55 million unique monthly visitors in the last quarter, and content produced by more than one million broadcasters per month, Twitch is the leading live video platform and community for gamers.</li>
<li>Amazon Prime members now receive 30 minutes of early access to select Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and daily sales events on MyHabit.com. By taking advantage of this early access, members can find great deals this holiday and all year long.</li>
<li>AmazonFresh expanded its service to Brooklyn. For a limited time, Prime members in eligible Brooklyn areas can use AmazonFresh for free, getting access to same-day and early next-day delivery of fresh groceries as well as over 500,000 Amazon.com items.</li>
<li>Amazon launched Local Register, a mobile app and secure credit card reader, that enables individuals and small businesses to quickly and easily accept credit and debit cards from a smartphone or tablet at an industry-leading low, flat rate with no hidden fees or long-term contracts. Local Register customers also benefit from access to the Amazon.com award-winning, fully-dedicated customer support team, and in-app reporting tools.</li>
<li>Amazon launched the 3D Printed Products store, a marketplace that gives customers access to more than 200 unique print-on-demand products, many that can be customized by material, size, style, and color, and personalized with text and image imprints. The store includes convenient search tools, interactive 3D preview functionality, and a product personalization widget.</li>
<li>Purdue University and Amazon launched the Purdue Student Store on Amazon, a co-branded experience where students can purchase lower-cost textbooks and other college essentials.Amazon also will bring staffed customer order pickup and drop-off locations to Purdue's campus, as well as expedited shipping benefits, in early 2015.</li>
<li>Amazon launched Pay with Amazon in India to help sellers of all sizes across the country grow their online businesses. Sellers can outsource their financial transactions to a world-class payments platform, and customers can shop with confidence due to a 100% buyer protection guarantee. This new Amazon service will further aid and support the growth and integration of small and medium businesses in the new digital economy. Pay with Amazon is mobile-optimized across all operating systems including Android, iOS, and Windows.</li>
<li>Amazon.in became the exclusive marketplace in India to find Xbox One, Xbox 360, Kinect, Xbox Live, Xbox Accessories, and all Microsoft-published Xbox game titles. With the roll-out of Xbox One, Amazon unveiled Release Day Delivery, a service committed to delivering customers new product offerings on their release day. Microsoft's offerings join other global products including Coke Zero, Blackberry Passport, and the first Android One phone that have launched exclusively in India on Amazon.in.</li>
<li>Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the AWS Directory Service, making it easier for enterprise customers to integrate their AWS environments with existing on-premises access control systems and security policies.</li>
<li>To help customers build more secure and efficient cloud environments, AWS announced it is offering four of its popular AWS Trusted Advisor security checks for free. AWS Trusted Advisor is an automated service that inspects a customer's AWS environment and finds opportunities for customers to save money, improve system performance and reliability, and close security gaps. Since the beginning of 2013, customers have viewed more than 1.7 million AWS Trusted Advisor recommendations, and realized more than $300 million in estimated cost reductions.</li>
<li>AWS announced the launch of its AWS EU (Frankfurt) Region, the second AWS Region in Europe and the 11th AWS Region globally. This allows organizations who want to ensure that their data resides inside of Germany the ability to do so.</li>
<li>With over 350 significant service and feature releases year-to-date, and substantial price reductions (28% to 51% depending on the service) for customers starting in April 2014, AWS continues to grow strongly, with usage growth close to 90% year-over-year for the third quarter.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

LIVE: Amazon Shares Are Tanking After Disappointing Earnings 

Welcome to our new Payments Insider newsletter, a morning email with the top news and analysis on the digital payments industry, produced by <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/welcome?utm_source=House&amp;utm_medium=Edit&amp;utm_term=PINSIGHTSutm_content=link&amp;utm_campaign=BIIMobile" target="_blank">BI Intelligence</a>. 
<a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/biipaymentsform" target="_blank">Click here to sign up for Payments Insider today, and receive it every morning in your inbox</a>.
<hr />
MOBILE CARRIERS LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOBILE WALLET ECOSYSTEM. One hurdle for NFC-based mobile wallets from a developer's perspective is that in order to store a payment card on a mobile phone the app needs access to the phone's "secure element," a partitioned and highly secure piece of the phone that's inaccessible to most applications. Access to the secure element is usually controlled by mobile operators. 
Mobile operators have many reasons for limiting access to the secure element besides needing to secure customer payment information. One reason is that some mobile operators are launching their own mobile wallets and want to limit competition. For example, Verizon, which is invested in the ISIS mobile wallet, doesn't allow Google Wallet on its phones. 
Google's latest version of Android supports a feature called "host card emulation" (HCE) that bypasses the need for an app to access a phone's secure element in order to make an NFC-based payment. HCE accomplishes this by storing payment information in the cloud rather than on the secure element. 
Yesterday, Visa and MasterCard both announced their support for HCE. What this means is that any app that supports HCE could potentially support card payments transacted using mobile devices. In this case, mobile carriers will not be able to so easily box out competitors. On the other hand, NFC-based transactions haven't taken off in the U.S. and unless they improve the consumer's point-of-sale payment experience, there is no reason to think consumers will jump on board. (<a href="http://pressreleases.visa.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=215693&amp;p=irol-newsarticlePR&amp;ID=1901153&amp;highlight=" target="_blank">Visa</a> and <a href="http://newsroom.mastercard.com/press-releases/mastercard-to-use-host-card-emulation-hce-for-nfc-based-mobile-payments/" target="_blank">MasterCard</a>) 
AMAZON EXPANDS ROLLOUT OF AMAZON COINS. Amazon Coins can be used to purchase apps and other digital content from Amazon's app store. It's part loyalty program, part gamification strategy - you can win coins for downloading content, for example - and part a means of bypassing having to make frequent low value purchases with a credit card. Now, Amazon is expanding the program. The company announced yesterday that Amazon coins can be used on Android devices in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. Previously, Amazon Coins could only be used on Kindle Fire tablets. (<a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1901229&amp;highlight=" target="_blank">Amazon</a>)
VENMO ADDS LOCATION-BASED PAYMENTS. PayPal-owned Venmo added a new feature to its iOS 7 peer-to-peer payments app, which allows users to see and make payments to people who are near to them. The feature uses the Bluetooth LE communication frequency, which we covered in a <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/beacons-revolutionary-mobile-technology-2013-12" target="_blank">recent report</a> on beacon technology. This is a big step for Venmo because previously payments required users to search for the recipient's name - now Venmo users simply have to be within a small distance of payment prospects. Meaning, the app could potentially be used for consumer-to-business transactions. (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-venmo-nearby-feature-2014-2" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>) 
WELCOME, INSIDERS: Don't forget to sign up and get Payments Insider every morning in your inbox. Please email johnh@businessinsider.com with news and tips.
THE BITCOIN WINKDEX IS HERE: Yesterday, the Winklevoss twins - famous for their lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg - made a regulatory filing with the SEC for their Bitcoin Index, called Winkdex. The brothers are currently moving forward with launching a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund as well. (<a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/before-a-bitcoin-fund-comes-a-price-index/?_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a>)
FORTUMO SIGNS CARRIER BILLING CONTRACT IN THE PHILIPPINES. Carrier billing platform provider Fortumo announced a new partnership with Smart Communications. With 57 million subscribers, Smart Communications is the largest mobile carrier in the Philippines. Carrier billing allows mobile users to purchase digital goods like games by adding the cost of the purchase directly to their mobile bill. The Philippines is a prime market for direct carrier billing because of a lack of alternative payment methods and high smartphone penetration. (<a href="http://blog.fortumo.com/fortumo-goes-to-the-philippines-direct-carrier-billing-for-57-million-subscribers-of-smart/" target="_blank">Fortumo</a>)
INGENICO REPORTS EARNINGS. The French payments technology and hardware provider Ingenico reported "very strong" 14% revenue growth in 2013, rising to €1.371 billion ($1.88 billion). One highlight was a 42% increase in revenue in the company's North America business segment. Ingenico attributed the growth to increased technology and hardware sales driven by the upcoming 2015 EMV or "chip-and-PIN" deadline set by the major credit card networks. The chip-and-PIN deadline requires merchants to update their points-of-sale to a higher standard of security meant to reduce fraud. If merchants do not do this, they will have an increased fraud liability burden. (<a href="http://www.ingenico.com/en/media-centre/press-releases/20140219-ingenico-annual-results-2013/" target="_blank">Ingenico</a>) 
STARTUP RELEASES MOBILE PAYMENT SOLUTION THAT IS ACCEPTED EVERYWHERE. Boston-based Loop has a new way to pay with your smartphone. The company's hardware solutions - a smartphone case and something called a "Fob", which looks similar to Square's card reader - effectively trick card readers into thinking a payment card has been swiped. Both technologies accomplish this by transmitting a magnetic signal to credit card readers in close proximity. The result is a mobile payment solution that can be accepted at any point-of-sale that can swipe payment cards. It gets around the problem many mobile wallets face - needing merchants to adopt hardware that can accept smartphone point-of-sale payments. The problem with Loop's solution is that merchants probably aren't going to want people using a strange device near their card readers in the wake of the Target data breach. Also, the Fob costs $39, a price consumers may not want to pay simply to be able to use their smartphone as a universal payment mechanism. (<a href="http://www.looppay.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Loop_Feb_19_Press_Release.pdf" target="_blank">Loop</a>)
Here's what else BI Intelligence subscribers are reading...
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/how-bitcoin-works-and-could-change-payments-2014-1">BITCOIN: How It Works, And Why It Could Fundamentally Change How Companies And Individuals Handle Payments</a>
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/social-brand-timeline-2014-1">The Early Adopter Effect In Social Networks - Success Goes To Brands That Get There First</a>
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/reverse-showrooming-bricks-and-mortar-retailers-fight-back-2014-2">'Reverse Showrooming': Bricks-And-Mortar Retailers Fight Back</a>
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/m-pesas-astounding-success-in-africa-spotlights-the-global-payments-opportunity-2014-2">M-Pesa's Astounding Success In Africa Spotlights The Global Payments Opportunity</a>
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/consumers-use-smartphones-and-tablets-differently-for-shopping-2014-2">Consumers Use Smartphones And Tablets Differently For Shopping</a>
<a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/android-and-ios-combine-for-over-80-of-global-mobile-ad-revenue-and-traffic-2014-2">Android Phones Drive More Mobile Ads Than iPhones For The First Time, But Revenue Gap Persists</a> Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Visa And MasterCard Strike A Huge Blow To Carrier-Backed Mobile Wallets

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55334febecad044561ff1a0e-633-474/android-rain-3.jpg?maxX=600" alt="android rain" border="0" width="600"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/uncalno/8538679708/">Uncalno Tekno via Flickr</a></img></div></div>Europe has been investigating Google Search for so long now, that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/europe-accuses-google-of-antitrust-violations-2015-4">filing of formal antitrust charges</a> last Wednesday was almost anticlimactic.But there was one part that stuck out. In addition to filing formal charges related to Google Search, the European authorities also said they were launching an investigation into Android. <h2>This is new</h2>European authorities are looking at three things:<ol><li>Did Google force or incentivize Android phone and tablet makers to "exclusively pre-install Google's own applications or services"? </li><li>Did Google prevent smartphone and tablet makers who wanted to install Google applications and services on some devices from shipping "modified and potentially competing versions of Android (known as 'Android forks') on other devices"?</li><li>Did Google tie or bundle certain Google applications and services that shipped with Android devices, with other Google applications, services, and APIs? </li></ol><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f4969769beddef54e84a68-810-827/cyanogen.png" alt="Cyanogen" border="0" width="600"><a href="https://cyngn.com/cyanogen-os/customization">Cyanogen Inc.</a>Cyanogen is using the AOSP to build a viable version of Android that's out of Google's control.</img></div></div>This sounds complicated - and it is - because there are really two Androids.There's the Android Open Source Platform, or AOSP - let's call it "open" Android.Open Android provides a fully functional mobile operating system and some scaffolding to build certain types of apps. Google develops open Android and publishes the code under an open source license, meaning anybody can take it and do whatever they want with it. Amazon used this platform to build the Kindle Fire and Fire Phone. Many Chinese handset makers like Xiaomi use it to build smartphones and tablets. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-cyanogen-could-hurt-google-2015-3">Cyanogen</a> is using it to create a separate version of Android that Google doesn't control.Google makes no money from these versions of Android, which don't include any Google apps or links back to Google services (or Google ads).But there's also another Android, which is most commonly called the Google Mobile Services platform, or GMS. This is the version of Android you get on most phones from big sellers like Samsung, LG, HTC, and Lenovo. Let's call it "full" Android.The full version of Android is built on top of open Android. But it includes all kinds of important things that a modern mobile platform needs, like location services, in-app purchasing, services for businesses to help secure devices, and much more. Third-party apps take advantage of these services. There are also a bunch of Google applications, like Chrome, that ship with full Android.<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53aafc3969bedddc6cc768a3-1200-924/google-io--matias-material-design.png" alt="Google IO + Matias Material Design" border="0" width="600">Google"Material Design," a new look and feel Google introduced in the latest build, Lollipop. </img></div></div>Full Android is documented as much as it needs to be for developers to build apps, but it isn't open source. It's closer to Microsoft Windows - a proprietary platform that Google wants everybody to use.Google doesn't charge for the full version of Android, as Microsoft does with Windows. But the built-in Google services help collect data that Google uses to target ads, and the bundled apps and services can include ads themselves.If Google is ever going to turn Android into a real money-making business, it's going to be the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-says-android-is-making-google-very-little-money-2015-4">full version of Android</a> that does it.<h2>So why keep maintaining the AOSP?</h2>There are several reasons it made sense a few years ago:<ul><li>Defense. The original reason Google bought Android in 2005 was to make sure no other mobile platform would monopolize the mobile market and block Google services from mobile devices. (Ironically, Google was worried about Microsoft; nobody saw the iPhone coming at first.) </li><li>To get partners on board. In 2007, as the iPhone just started taking off, Google joined up with a bunch of partners to create the Open Handset Alliance, which would sell and promote Android as an alternate platform. (The big Android phone makers and many carriers are members.) But partners might have worried that they would have ended up like the PC makers who adopted Windows in the 1990s - stuck with decreasing marginal hardware businesses while Google mopped up whatever value accrued to the platform. As long as the AOSP existed, Google could point to it and say "hey, if you don't like the way we're driving Android, here's the source code, go do your own version."</li><li>Antitrust. As Android began to dominate the smartphone market, Google could point to the AOSP and maintain that it wasn't really exercising that much control over Android at all - indeed, that was Google's <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.be/2015/04/android-has-helped-create-more-choice.html">first argument in its blog post</a> responding to the EU's investigation: "It's an open-source operating system that can be used free-of-charge by anyone-that's right, literally anyone."</li></ul>But none of those reasons really make sense anymore. The idea of needing defense seems absurd: Android's global market share, which is around 75% if you include "forked" AOSP-only Android, or 55% if you don't. Either way, it's way ahead of number two, Apple's iOS, which has about 20% market share. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53a0993c6bb3f776760bc4fd-1200-924/forkedandroids.png" alt="ForkedAndroids" border="0">BIIMobile platform market share, including "forked" (AOSP only) versus full Android.</img></div></div></div>Google got its partners on board, but today most of the value of the Android platform for these partners is in the bundled services and apps included in "full" Android - the Google Play store, Google Maps, and so on. If any handset maker wanted to create a version of Android as good as Google's, they'd have to build or partner to create equivalents to all these services. (Amazon has come closest, and only its tablets have been successful so far, thanks to the lead-in from its legacy e-reader business. The first Fire Phone was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-is-getting-smoked-this-morning-2014-10">pretty much a flop</a>.)As far as antitrust goes, it's pretty clear that the European Union understands the difference between the two Androids and is targeting the full version. By definition, the AOSP version of Android doesn't force partners to do anything. The EU even mentions "forked" Android in its points about the investigation. So why keep developing a platform that no longer serves any strategic purpose?Meanwhile, Android is facing a major inflection point. The last version, Lollipop, was released in November and is only on <a href="https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html#top">5% of all Android phones</a> (actually less, as Google's measurements exclude very old versions). Apple's last update, iOS 8, was at over 70% adoption at the same phase in its lifecycle. Plus, after years of gaining market share over iOS, Apple's latest iPhones have reversed the trend, and Android market share is slipping in most countries and worldwide in total.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418b2a3ecad044c0974ce92-1200-924/us smartphone market share.png" alt="US Smartphone Market Share" border="0">BIIAndroid's market share appears to have topped out.</img></div></div></div><h2>Forget "open."</h2>Google should start acting like Android is a real business, create its own proprietary fork, and insist that all phones that want to use Google services and Android branding use that fork. Even a fully proprietary version of Android will still offer way more value than competitors like Windows Phone just because of the huge number of available apps.It's not like app makers are going to abandon a platform that's already on a billion phones in the wild - and Google's cloud services, like Gmail and Maps and Google Now, are actually pretty excellent and very hard to replace. And if the world really needs an open source mobile platform, Google should <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Galt">pull a John Galt</a> and let someone else carry the ball for a while. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-power-user-hacks-apple-tricks-2015-3">5 hard-to-find iPhone tricks only power users know about</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dzb3ZxczpW1JgYelTy6QXfo_lrpK_Xyi" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'dzb3ZxczpW1JgYelTy6QXfo_lrpK_Xyi',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

It's time for Google to throw 'open' Android under the bus

Amazon just published <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=2002024">its post-Christmas press release</a>.
These are always packed with interesting nuggets.&#xa0;Here's a few things that popped out:
<ul>
<li>On Cyber Monday,&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers ordered more than 18 toys per second - and that's just from mobile.&#xa0;</li>
<li>In total, nearly 60% of people shopped on their phones.</li>
<li>The last order successfully delivered before Christmas was placed at 10:24 PM on December 24 and delivered at 11:06 PM. The customer ordered via "Prime Now," a service Amazon launched this month which lets New York City residents get deliveries in two hours or less.&#xa0;</li>
<li>Over 10 million people joined Amazon Prime, the $99 service that gives you free two-day shipping, this holiday season. Last year, 1 million people joined Prime around Christmas time. Considering that the service only cost $79 back then, that's pretty insane growth.&#xa0;</li>
</ul>
Those were some of the highlights. Here's the entire release:
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 26, 2014-- (NASDAQ: AMZN) - Amazon's 20th&#xa0;holiday season brought record growth to the company's fast, free shipping program Amazon Prime - more than 10 million new members worldwide tried Prime for the first time.Amazon&#xa0;customers also benefited from low prices this season, including more than 25,000 Lightning Deals.
"We are excited to welcome more than ten million new members to&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;Prime this holiday season, who benefited from unlimited&#xa0;Free Two-Day Shipping&#xa0;on their holiday gifts. Prime members can also borrow more than 700,000 books, listen to one million songs and hundreds of playlists, save unlimited photos and watch tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes including the Golden Globe nominated show from Amazon Studios,&#xa0;Transparent," said&#xa0;Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of&#xa0;Amazon.com. "We are working hard to make Prime even better and expanding the recently launched Prime Now&#xa0;to additional cities in 2015."
Amazon Prime has come to mean fast, free shipping, free streaming and free reading. This year,&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;added nearly a dozen new features and benefits to Prime. In addition to Prime Instant Video and the&#xa0;Kindle Owners Lending Library, members now enjoy Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Pantry, Amazon Elements, critically-acclaimed and exclusive streaming content, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive pricing on select&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;devices, exclusive pricing on Same-Day Delivery and more. Following the November launch of Prime Photos, members also uploaded nearly one billion photos with free unlimited photo storage inAmazon Cloud Drive.
Holiday Fun Facts:
Shipping:
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;shipped to 185 countries this holiday.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Sunday Delivery expanded across the country, delivering holiday packages to thousands of cities in the US.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">This holiday,&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers ordered more than 10 times as many items with Same-Day Delivery, over 2013.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The last&#xa0;Prime One-Day Shipping&#xa0;order on&#xa0;Amazon.com&#xa0;delivered in time for Christmas was placed on&#xa0;December 23, 2014at&#xa0;2:55 p.m. EST&#xa0;and shipped to&#xa0;Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The order included Nature's Miracle No More Marking, 24-ounce spray and a men's Champion Evo Fleece Full Zip Hoodie.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The last Prime Now order that was delivered in time for Christmas included 3 different 12-packs of Bai5, 5 calorie, 100% Natural, Antioxidant Infused Beverage, 18-ounce bottles. Flavor varieties included Costa Rica Clementine, Limu Lemon and Molokai Coconut. The order was placed on&#xa0;December 24&#xa0;at&#xa0;10:24pm&#xa0;and was delivered at&#xa0;11:06pm.</li>
</ul>
Amazon Devices &amp;&#xa0;Digital Media:
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon Fire TV is the best-selling streaming media box on&#xa0;Amazon.com&#xa0;this holiday season.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Fire TV Stick, Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7 were among the most wished-for items on&#xa0;Amazon.com&#xa0;this holiday season.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Fire tablet sales on&#xa0;Amazon.com&#xa0;were up over three times year over year this Black Friday; Kindle e-reader sales on Black Friday grew nearly four times year over year.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">J.D. Power&#xa0;ranks&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;"Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Tablets."</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Fire TV Stick is the fastest-selling&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;device ever.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The most gifted Kindle book during the holiday season was&#xa0;Unbroken&#xa0;by&#xa0;Laura Hillenbrand.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;unveiled&#xa0;All Is Bright, the first-ever exclusive playlist of newly-recorded&#xa0;holiday&#xa0;songs available&#xa0;for listening onAmazon's&#xa0;Prime Music&#xa0;service this holiday season.&#xa0;All Is Bright&#xa0;features performances of holiday favorites, rarities and newly-written songs from extraordinary artists including&#xa0;Ashley Monroe,&#xa0;Brandi Carlile,&#xa0;Jessie Baylin,&#xa0;Liz Phair,&#xa0;Lucinda Williams,&#xa0;Yoko Ono&#xa0;with the Flaming Lips and many more.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon Prime members can instantly watch and enjoy Amazon Original Series, including the Roman Coppola and&#xa0;Jason Schwartzman&#xa0;comedy,&#xa0;Mozart&#xa0;in the Jungle; Golden Globe nominated dark-comedy,&#xa0;Transparent; fan-favorite,&#xa0;Alpha House,&#xa0;now in its second season; and&#xa0;children's series&#xa0;Gortimer Gibbon's Life on&#xa0;Normal Street.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Prime Instant Video is the exclusive online-only subscription service for great TV series including popular&#xa0;HBO&#xa0;shows such as&#xa0;Boardwalk&#xa0;Empire, True Blood, The Sopranos&#xa0;and&#xa0;The Wire,&#xa0;as well as binge-worthy primetime series including&#xa0;24, The Good Wife, Downton Abbey, Under the Dome, Extant&#xa0;and&#xa0;Vikings, and favorites for children including&#xa0;SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, Blue's Clues,&#xa0;and&#xa0;The Bubble Guppies.
</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon Appstore selection worldwide more than doubled in 2014 over 2013.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The top three holiday songs requested of Amazon Echo are&#xa0;Jingle Bells,&#xa0;Frosty the Snowman, and&#xa0;Jingle&#xa0;Bell Rock.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Top holiday movies identified using Firefly were&#xa0;Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas,&#xa0;White Christmas&#xa0;and&#xa0;It's A Wonderful Life.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Customers have saved over 100 million seconds since the launch of Amazon Fire TV thanks to ASAP; that's enough time to watch all eight&#xa0;Harry Potter&#xa0;movies more than 1,400 times.</li>
</ul>
Customer Purchases:
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Nearly 60 percent of&#xa0;Amazon.com&#xa0;customers shopped using a mobile device this holiday.&#xa0;Mobile&#xa0;shopping accelerated as customers got later into the shopping season.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Cyber Monday continues to be Amazon.com's peak mobile shopping day. Black Friday had the most rapid growth in mobile shopping.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Total holiday sales from the&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;app for smartphones doubled in 2014 in the US.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">On Cyber Monday,&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers worldwide ordered more than 18 toys per second from a mobile device.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">This holiday, 16 times more&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers shopped on smile.amazon.com than over the 2013 holiday season.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Since launching, AmazonSmile has generated millions of dollars in donations for customers' favorite charitable organizations.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">This holiday season, AmazonSmile customers supported seven times more charitable organizations than last year.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough Elsa dolls to reach the top of Cinderella's castle 855 times.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">If all of the Percy Jackson&#xa0;Heroes of Olympus&#xa0;books purchased by&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers during the holidays were piled up, they would be more than twice as tall as&#xa0;Washington State's&#xa0;Mount Olympus&#xa0;and&#xa0;Mount Olympus&#xa0;in Greece-stacked on top of each other.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough Sophie the Giraffe teethers to equal the height of 788 real giraffes.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">If every&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customer who purchased a copy of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire or Pokémon&#xa0;Omega Ruby&#xa0;this holiday season caught every species of monster in the game, they would have collected more Pokémon than the entire population of the US.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough Lifestraws to sustain more than 115,000 thirsty campers for a year.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">If every shoe from each pair of pumps Amazon Fashion customers purchased this holiday season were stacked on top of each other they would equal 52 times the&#xa0;Empire State Building.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The number of pairs of cowboy boots Amazon Fashion customers purchased this holiday season is enough to provide a new pair of boots to the population of&#xa0;Cheyenne, Wyoming, home of one of the largest rodeos.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough wiper blades for every driver in&#xa0;Mobile, Alabama, the rainiest city in the US.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">The total length of Duck Brand Disney Frozen duct tape purchased by&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;customers this holiday season could stretch to the top of Disneyland's Matterhorn more than 729 times.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Assuming the average customer moisturizes twice per day,&#xa0;Amazon&#xa0;sold enough O'Keefe's Hand and Foot Cream to provide a lifetime supply to the entire&#xa0;Seattle Seahawks&#xa0;football team roster.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough laser pointer pet toys to give more than seven to every Lasik eye surgeon in the US.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough commercial butane torches to caramelize 31,000 crème brulees.</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon&#xa0;customers purchased enough&#xa0;Rubbermaid&#xa0;storage containers to pack a lunch for the entire population of&#xa0;Montana.</li>
</ul>
Holiday Best Sellers&#xa0;(Amazon.com&#xa0;only):
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Tablets: Fire HD 7, Fire HD 6, Fire HDX 7</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Books:&#xa0;Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids&#xa0;by&#xa0;Rob Elliott;&#xa0;Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul&#xa0;by&#xa0;Jeff Kinney;&#xa0;Killing&#xa0;Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General&#xa0;by&#xa0;Bill&#xa0;O'Reilly</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Kindle Books:&#xa0;The Burning Room&#xa0;by&#xa0;Michael Connelly;&#xa0;Gray Mountain&#xa0;by&#xa0;John Grisham;&#xa0;Gone Girl&#xa0;by&#xa0;Gillian Flynn</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Amazon Instant Video:&#xa0;The Walking Dead&#xa0;Season 5;&#xa0;Sons of Anarchy&#xa0;Season 7;&#xa0;Maleficent;&#xa0;Guardians of the Galaxy
</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Prime Instant Video:&#xa0;Hunger Games: Catching Fire;&#xa0;Alpha House&#xa0;Season 2</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Movies:&#xa0;Guardians of the Galaxy&#xa0;(3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital Copy +DVD);&#xa0;Maleficent&#xa0;(2-Disct Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Prime Music:&#xa0;Christmas&#xa0;by Michael Bublé;&#xa0;Greatest Hits&#xa0;by Journey;&#xa0;All the Little Lights&#xa0;by Passenger</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Music (CD):&#xa0;That's Christmas to Me&#xa0;by Pentatonix;&#xa0;1989&#xa0;by&#xa0;Taylor Swift;&#xa0;Frozen Karaoke&#xa0;from&#xa0;Disney's&#xa0;Karaoke Series</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">MP3:&#xa0;That's Christmas To Me&#xa0;by Pentatonix;&#xa0;1989&#xa0;by&#xa0;Taylor Swift;&#xa0;Sonic Highways&#xa0;by Foo Fighters</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Toys: Disney Frozen Sparkle Princess Elsa Doll; Anki DRIVE Starter Kit Smart Robot Car Racing Game; Bounce-Off Game</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">TVs:&#xa0;Samsung&#xa0;32-inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV;&#xa0;Samsung&#xa0;40-inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV;&#xa0;LG Electronics&#xa0;42-inch 1080p 60Hz LED TV</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Cameras: GoPro Headstrap Mount + Quick Clip; GoPro HERO4 SILVER; Accessories Kit for GoPro Hero4</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Accessories: Amazon Basics HDMI Cable, 6.5 feet; Amazon Basics HDMI Cable 2 pack, 6.5 feet; Amazon Basics HDMI Cable, 3 feet</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Computers: Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-inch, 2GB); ASUS Chromebook 13-inch with Gigabit WiFi (16GB, 2GB); HP 11-2010nr 11.6-inch Chromebook (Snow White)</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Video Games: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare;&#xa0;Just Dance&#xa0;2015; Super Smash Bros</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Baby: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes; Baby Banana Bendable Training Toothbrush;&#xa0;Baby Einstein Bendy Ball</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Beauty: L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream; Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner; LORAC PRO Palette</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Sports: SKLZ Pro Mini Hoop; SKLZ Pro Mini Hoop XL;&#xa0;Spalding NBA Street&#xa0;Basketball, official size 7; Wilson NFL MVP Football</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Outdoors: Lifestraw Personal Water Filter; Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets; Zippo A-Frame Hand Warmer</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Pets: Nylabone Dura Chew Original Flavored Dental Dinosaur Chew Toy; Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food, Hi Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison and Venison; KONG Cozie Marvin the Moose, Medium Dog Toy, Brown</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Patio, Lawn and Garden:&#xa0;Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric&#xa0;Fryer Cooker Extra Large Capacity; Toro Ultra 12 Amp Variable-Speed (up to 235) Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller; GreenWorks 12 Amp 20-inch Corded Snow Thrower</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Home Improvement: O'Keeffe's Working Hands Cream, 3.4-Ounce; WBM Himalayan Light #1002 Natural Air Purifying Himalayan Salt Lamp with Neem Wood Base, Bulb and Dimmer Switch; Nest Learning Thermostat, 2nd Generation</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Tools: Stanley 66-344 4-in-1 Pocket Screwdriver; DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Drill/Driver Kit; Dorcy 41-2510 Floating Waterproof LED Flashlight with Carabineer Clip, 55-Lumens, Yellow</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Kitchen: Artisan (2 pack) Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat Set, 16 5/8 x 11;&#xa0;Rubbermaid&#xa0;42-Piece Easy Find Lid Food Storage Set; Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Automotive: Swiss+Tech ST53100 Micro-Max 19-in-1 Key Ring Multi-Function Pocket Tool; Mallory 532 26-inch Snow Brush with Foam Grip; Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Business, Industrial and&#xa0;Scientific Supplies: Amprobe BAT-250 Battery Tester; Rubbermaid Commercial Products High Heat Spoon Scraper 9 1/2-inch, Red</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Women's Apparel: Columbia Women's Benton Springs Full-Zip Fleece Jacket; Playtex Women's 18-Hour Original Comfort-Strap Bra #4693;&#xa0;Hue Women's&#xa0;Ultra Leggings with Wide Waistband</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Women's Shoes: Dr. Martens Women's 1460 Originals Eight-Eye Lace-Up Boot; Minnetonka Women's Cally Faux Fur Slipper; ASICS Women's GEL-Kayano 20 Running Shoe</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Jewelry: Sterling silver&#xa0;I Love You To The Moon and Back&#xa0;two-piece pendant necklace, 18-inch; Two-toned sterling silver with yellow gold flashed heart&#xa0;Mom I Love You To The Moon and Back&#xa0;pendant necklace, 18-inch;&#xa0;Alex and Ani Bangle BarPath of Life&#xa0;Rafaelian silver finish expandable bracelet</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Watches: Disney Kids' Frozen Anna and Elsa Digital Watch; Disney Kids' Frozen Anna Snow Queen Stainless Steel Watch; U.S. Polo Assn. Sport Men's Watch</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Men's Apparel: Duofold Men's Thermal Mid Weight Wicking Bottom; Columbia Men's Steens Mountain Full Zip 2.0 Fleece Jacket; Levi's Men's 501 Original Fit Jean</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Men's Shoes: Clarks Men's Bushacre 2 Desert Boots; ASICS Men's GEL-Kayano 20 Running Shoe; Timberland White Ledge Waterproof Boot</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Kid's Apparel: Little Girls' Disney Frozen 7-Pack Panty Set; Jefferies Socks Little Girls' Cable Tights selling;&#xa0;Gerber Uni-sex 5-Pack Variety Onesies</li>
</ul>
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

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