Amazon says price cut has spurred Kindle sales, but exact numbers remain a mystery

Amazon says price cut has spurred Kindle sales

SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. said Monday that sales of its Kindle electronic reading device have picked up since it cut the price. But exactly how many Kindles it is selling, Amazon did not say.

The company also said sales of Kindle books now outpace hardcover books, although sales of hardcover books are still growing.

Apple Inc.’s iPad has posed a threat to the e-reader market. The portable tablet computer has its own e-book store, plus a full color screen with Web browsing and other features that most dedicated e-readers don’t have. Apple says it has sold more than 3 million of them.

But Amazon has never said how many people have bought Kindles.

Still, lowering the price to $189 from $259 does appear to be luring more readers. The company said Monday that sales climbed each month during the second quarter, both from the month before and the same month a year ago.

In after-hours trading, shares of Amazon added 91 cents to $120.85. The stock ended the regular trading session up $1.45 at $119.94.