Technology | Amazon Kindle Book Sales Overtake Hardcovers: Amazon Even with iPad competition, sales of devices rise By Marie Morris Posted Jul 19, 2010 5:39 PM CDT Copied Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos displays a Kindle during an interview in Cupertino, Calif., Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, file) Amazon is selling more books as Kindle downloads than as hardcovers, CNET reports. In the past month, the website sold 180 Kindle books for each 100 hardbacks. CEO Jeff Bezos calls the shift "astonishing, when you consider that we've been selling hardcover books for 15 years and Kindle books for 33 months." Price cuts are driving increased sales of the reading devices, which are up despite competition from the popular but more expensive iPad. Left unanswered is the longstanding question of exactly how many Kindles Amazon has sold. The company has never released sales figures, the AP notes. Read These Next A big shake-up at the top of Ben and Jerry's hierarchy. Man initially detained in Charlie Kirk case has been charged. 3 police officers were killed and 2 injured in southern Pennsylvania. The woman whose review of her local Olive Garden went viral has died. Report an error