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Amazon (AMZN) Survives the Dot-Com Bubble and is Stronger than Ever! Why?

By John Kays

"Low prices, expanding selection, fast delivery and innovation are driving the fastest growth in over a decade." Jeff Bezos

It's said that Jeff Bezos came up with the business model for Amazon while on a road trip from Texas to California. Amazon (AMZN) is perfection when it comes to internet retail commerce.

I have been using it for years and now plan on getting one of those Kindle 3Gs. I have a need for a lot of out-of-print books, and Amazon is connected to many small specialized bookstores, that I would otherwise know nothing about.

I sadly visited the close out sale at Borders over at their now defunct Southpark Meadows store here in Austin. The store had only been opened a few years and so it was surprising to see it closing for business. This is the moment when I realized the brick and mortar bookstore was a thing of the past.

Amazon makes Borders a blast from the past! Prices are lower on Amazon and shipping is often free. And I'm often surprised by how fast the books are delivered.

After you purchase online, you receive a detailed receipt letting you know when to expect the book. Time after time I couldn't find the titles I was looking for at physical bookstores, and goes for libraries as well.

But I could find it on Amazon, since it's connected in with every book dealer in the world. I know I need to transition to a Kindle 3G, but I also know a lot of the obscure titles I seek with never be published on a digital format.

The Kindle will come in handy for new releases, nonetheless. I know my purchases for e-reading will be through Amazon, but that's alright, since they have never goofed-up on even one of my transactions.

Amazon's quarterly statement was amazing, with total revenue coming in at $9.91 billion. The net income was a little flatter, with a figure of 191 million, and earnings of 41 cents per share, but that's because they have the sense to reinvest in the company, getting ready for the future, expanding into the home movie market, and introducing the tablet computer by October. AMZN closed at 223.90 and had a 52-week-high of 227.20 on the 27th.

Now, if I could only catch up on what all Amazon is up to. I read the Wikipedia entry today and about two dozen articles about the ancient internet giant, that continues to survive, while others are falling like rebels at Pickets charge.

Cloud computing? Cloud computing? I'll need a tutor on this one. My take on CC is it's like a big, virtual distribution warehouse to store programming data.

Will crack the books on Cloud! Armageddon for Borders. But Amazon is Julius Caesar's victorious march into Rome after conquering Gaul.

Issues with internet sales tax in California, though. Say it isn't so! Movie deal with NBCUniversal. Can they compete with Netflix? Tablet computer by October? Move out of the way ipad!

Most people thought that Amazon would have died a horrible death back in the day when the Dot-Com bubble burst (I use the day October 10th, 2000, [as the beginning of the demise] when the Nasdaq peaked).

Jim Cramer talks about GROWTH on Mad Money a few days ago. Amazon is stronger than ever! What visionary adumbrations did Jeff Bezos conjure on that road trip from Texas to California back in '94?

*Footnote: Micro-paragraphs perfect for an ipad, iphone, or a Kindle 3G. Amazon and Apple have transformed writing and journalism to be experienced (solely) on a smart device - tiny chunks of readable data. Duhh!

John Kays identifies timeless remnants from our past that will endure, or be admired by future generations.