Amazon's Octocopter
You had to watch 60 Minutes on CBS to know what an octocopter is, but after watching Jeff Bezos discuss Amazon and some of their plans I just love Amazon as a customer! I buy things from them probably every other day. My recent orders include:
New battery for my Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Toner cartridge
Dog Muzzle (our dog broke his foot and was gnawing the bandage)
Altoids (12 pack, cheaper unit price than WalMart)
About six books by Vaclav Smil, a prolific writer whose writing combines engineering, economics and history on topics such as Oil or U.S. manufacturing
This is in the past week or so. Their delivery is already pretty fast (and Amazon Prime makes it feel as if it’s free). And the fact that my credit card is stored on their website means I can order things over breakfast without having to get my wallet. But the thought of helicopter drones (called octocopters because they have eight propellers) delivering a package within 30 minutes is straight out of the future. It’s exciting to watch Amazon become the online marketplace for EVERYTHING.
I LOVE being their customer.
Jeff Bezos admitted he’s very patient about making profits (hasn’t he always been so?). That’s even better news if you’re a customer; they put us first. While Bezos believes many companies think in terms of profitability within 2-3 years, he’s willing to wait 5-7. That’s even better news. I’m so happy being their customer there’s just no chance I’ll spoil our wonderful relationship by becoming an investor too.