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Tag: Amazon

  • Amazon Fire TV Gets Major Software Update

    Amazon Fire TV Gets Major Software Update

    Starting today and over the coming weeks, Amazon will be rolling out a free over-the-air software update to Fire TV customers. It includes Alexa support for first-generation Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices.

    It also includes improvements to Amazon’s Video add-on subscription service, including an easier way for users to sign-up, discover, and access your Amazon Video add-on subscriptions.

    There’s also new Bluetooth headphone support for Fire TV Stick devices for private listening.

    “Since the launch of the new Fire TV in September, we’ve added dozens of Alexa skills to Fire TV devices including local search (i.e. the ability to find restaurants in your neighborhood), Amazon Choice and Re-Ordering from Amazon.com (i.e. quickly purchasing items off Amazon.com), home automation (i.e. turning on the living room lights via Alexa), traffic (i.e. find out how your commute to work is looking), Audible, games like Jeopardy!, Bingo, and more,” an Amazon spokesperson tells us in an email.

    “Amazon Fire TV remains #1 best-selling streaming media player in the U.S. across all retailers, and is a great way to watch your favorite TV shows and movies on the big-screen from apps like Amazon Video, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, HBO Now and more,” the spokesperson adds.

    It’s worth noting that Amazon recently stopped selling competing devices like Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast. In fact they even put their own devices right at the top of search results for these competitors.

    Image via Amazon

  • Streaming Music: Amazon To Take On New Streaming Service

    Streaming music is quickly becoming a way of life for many of us, and Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos knows it.

    Bezos is now getting ready to form a music streaming service to Amazon, in addition and separate from Amazon Prime.

    Bezos has reportedly been holding meetings to pursue licensing of music for the new streaming music service which sources close to the deal say will cost an additional $9.99 per month.

    Amazon currently offers music, about one million songs, with the Prime membership. However, Bezos is looking to keep up with the steadily growing demand for streaming music and services like Spotify and Apple.

    Back in October, Jeff Bezos was already trying to figure out how to make streaming music work on Amazon as he saw the increase in demand.

    He said, “The move to streaming is immense… In an always connected world, it’s the way that people want to interact with music. And it’s just gonna keep growing. I think you’re gonna see changes in the landscape, as artists and labels really understand how best to market in that environment.”

    He also knew that this was a great additional way for Amazon to help artists to reach their fans.

    He said, “if I’m an artist and I want to reach fans of my music, and I recognize that people like to interact with music in different ways, we’re really the only place that touches all of the different formats.”

    Are you excited to see what Amazon can do for streaming music?

  • Amazon Has A New Training Course For AWS Developers

    Amazon Has A New Training Course For AWS Developers

    Amazon announced that a new, improved training course is now available for Amazon Web Services developers.

    New to the Developing on AWS course are: additional programming language support, a balance of concepts and code, AWS SDK labs, relevant to more developers, and expanded coverage of developer-oriented AWS services.

    “Whether you’re moving applications to AWS or developing specifically for the cloud, this course can show you how to use the AWS SDK to create secure, scalable cloud applications that tap the full power of the platform,” says Amazon’s Jeff Barr.

    As far as the new programming language support, the practice labs now support Java, .Net, Python, JavaScript (for Node.js and browser) as well as Windows and Linux.

    Barr notes that the additional support makes the course more useful to startup and enterprise developers alike.

    “The updated course expands coverage of key concepts, best practices, and troubleshooting tips for AWS services to help students build a mental model before diving into code,” says Barr. “Students then use an AWS SDK to develop apps that apply these concepts in hands-on labs. Practice labs are designed to emphasize the AWS SDK, reflecting how developers actually work and create solutions. Lab environments now include EC2 instances preloaded with all required programming language SDKs, developer tools, and IDEs.”

    The course also now puts more focus on AWS services like Amazon DynamoDB, AWS Lambda, Amazon Cognito, Amazon Kinesis Streams, Amazon ElastiCache, AWS CloudFormation, etc.

    To enroll, you can look over the syllabus, and find a class.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Earnings Out, Sales up 22%

    Amazon Earnings Out, Sales up 22%

    Amazon just announced its earnings for Q4 with sales up 22% to $35.7 billion.

    Operating cash flow was up 74% to $11.9 billion over the year with free cash flow up to $7.3 billion.

    EPS was $1, which was significantly lower than Wall Street expectations.

    CEO Jeff Bezos said, “Twenty years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100 billion in annual sales and serve 300 million customers. And still, measured by the dynamism we see everywhere in the marketplace and by the ever-expanding opportunities we see to invent on behalf of customers, it feels every bit like Day 1.”

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 28, 2016– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015.

    Operating cash flow increased 74% to $11.9 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $6.8 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow increased to $7.3 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $1.9 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow less lease principal repayments increased to $4.7 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $529 million for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases increased to $2.5 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with an outflow of $2.2 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014.

    Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 490 million on December 31, 2015, compared with 483 million one year ago.

    Fourth Quarter 2015

    Net sales increased 22% to $35.7 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $29.3 billion in fourth quarter 2014. Excluding the $1.2 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 26% compared with fourth quarter 2014.

    Operating income increased 88% to $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with operating income of $591 million in fourth quarter 2014.

    Net income was $482 million in the fourth quarter, or $1.00 per diluted share, compared with net income of $214 million, or$0.45 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2014.

    Full Year 2015

    Net sales increased 20% to $107.0 billion, compared with $89.0 billion in 2014. Excluding the $5.2 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 26% compared with 2014.

    Operating income was $2.2 billion, compared with operating income of $178 million in 2014.

    Net income was $596 million, or $1.25 per diluted share, compared with net loss of $241 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, in 2014.

    “Twenty years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100 billion in annual sales and serve 300 million customers,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “And still, measured by the dynamism we see everywhere in the marketplace and by the ever-expanding opportunities we see to invent on behalf of customers, it feels every bit like Day 1.”

    Highlights

    • Fire TV remains the #1 best-selling streaming media player in the U.S., having added over 1,000 new apps, channels, and games since September, including NBC, NBC Sports, Watch HGTV, Watch Food Network, and Watch Travel Channel.
    • The $50 Fire tablet has been the #1 best-selling, most gifted, and most wished-for product across all items available on Amazon.com since its introduction 19 weeks ago.
    • The Alexa Skills Kit and Alexa Voice Service continue to attract innovative companies, with Ford, Invoxia, Vivint,Alarm.com, and Ooma announcing plans to integrate their products and services with Alexa. In addition, Alexa continues to get smarter with new features, including local search from Yelp, news sources from CNN andBloomberg, enhanced IFTTT support, new alarm tones, and customized sports updates.
    • Last quarter, developers added over 100 new capabilities to Alexa-enabled devices. Amazon Echo and Fire TV customers can now play Jeopardy!, get stock quotes with Fidelity, hear headlines from The Huffington Post, exercise with a seven-minute workout, and test their Star Wars knowledge with a trivia quiz from Disney.
    • Amazon announced the first devices available with Amazon Dash Replenishment Service, including products from Brother, GE, and Gmate. Additionally, new brands and devices have joined the Dash Replenishment program, including Purell and Whirlpool.
    • In 2015, worldwide paid Prime memberships increased 51% — 47% in the U.S. and even faster outside the U.S.
    • Prime Video continues to grow internationally with nearly double the streaming customers compared with fourth quarter 2014.
    • The Prime-exclusive Original Series Mozart in the Jungle received two Golden Globes for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Gael García Bernal).
    • Over the holidays Prime members made The Man in The High Castle the most watched series on Prime Video by 4.5x. The Amazon Original Series received outstanding critical acclaim, including USA Today calling it the “best new drama of the season.”
    • The second season of hit show Transparent was named as one of the top television series of 2015 by The New York TimesVariety, IndieWire, and The New Yorker.
    • Amazon Studios released its first Original Movie Chi-Raq, directed by Spike Lee, to rave reviews. The film has been included in 2015 “Best Films” lists from LA WeeklyThe New Yorker, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Slant, and Vulture.
    • Amazon launched the Streaming Partners Program, an over-the-top streaming subscription program that gives Prime members the option to add SHOWTIME, STARZ, and dozens more video subscriptions to their Prime membership.
    • In the fourth quarter, Prime Music streaming hours more than tripled in the U.S. compared with fourth quarter 2014.
    • Prime Music launched in Germany and Japan, offering Prime members more than one million songs and hundreds of playlists at no additional cost to their membership.
    • Since launching in December 2014 with one location, Prime Now has grown to more than 25 metropolitan areas across the U.S., U.K., Italy, and Japan.
    • Prime Same Day launched in the U.K. and Germany, offering Prime members unlimited free same-day delivery on a million items.
    • Amazon Pantry launched in the U.K., allowing Prime members to purchase daily essentials in everyday sizes and have items delivered for a low, flat-rate fee.
    • In 2015, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipped over one billion units on behalf of sellers. The number of active sellers using FBA grew more than 50%.
    • In the fourth quarter, FBA units represented nearly 50% of total third-party units.
    • Payment volume from Pay with Amazon grew more than 150% year-over-year in 2015, giving Amazon shoppers a secure way to pay on thousands of websites using information already stored in their Amazon accounts.
    • Amazon China launched the Amazon Global Store (AGS) 2.0 customer experience, which provides customers an easier and more convenient shopping experience through single login, unified shopping cart, and local payment. Additionally, AGS selection has grown to over nine million items.
    • Amazon.in was the top e-commerce site in India throughout the fourth quarter, including the busy Diwali shopping season, according to global analytics firm comScore.
    • Downloads of the Amazon.in mobile shopping app grew faster in the fourth quarter than any other e-commerce app in India, according to app analytics firm App Annie.
    • Sellers on Amazon.in sold more in the fourth quarter than in all four quarters combined in 2014.
    • Amazon Fashion, East Dane, and MyHabit return as the lead sponsor for the second season of New York Fashion Week: Men’s, hosted by The Council of Fashion Designers of America.
    • Amazon Launchpad, a program that helps startups launch, market, and distribute their products, has worked with leading venture capital firms, startup accelerators, and crowd-funding platforms to help more than 500 startups launch over 750 products in the U.S., U.K., and China.
    • Amazon entered into an agreement to support the construction and operation of Amazon Wind Farm U.S. Central, which is expected to generate approximately 320,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of wind energy on an annual basis. Amazon Wind Farm U.S. Central, combined with Amazon’s previously announced projects, Amazon Wind Farm Fowler Ridge, Amazon Solar Farm U.S. East in Virginia, and Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East in North Carolina, will be responsible for delivering more than 1.6 million MWh of additional renewable energy annually, roughly equivalent to the amount of energy required to power 150,000 U.S. homes for a year.
    • Only eight months after launch, Amazon Business, a marketplace with features and benefits tailored to businesses, serves more than 200,000 businesses ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
    • Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of its Asia Pacific (Seoul) Region in Korea and its plans to open a new region in Canada. The AWS Cloud is now available from 32 Availability Zones across 12 geographic regions worldwide, with another five AWS Regions (and 11 Availability Zones) in Canada, China, India, Ohio, and the U.K. expected to be available in the coming year.
    • AWS announced the general availability of Amazon WorkMail, a secure, managed business email and calendaring service with support for existing desktop and mobile email clients.
    • AWS announced the general availability of AWS IoT, a managed cloud platform that lets billions of connected devices — such as mobile phones, cars, factory floors, aircraft engines, sensor grids, and more — easily and securely interact with cloud applications and other devices. AWS IoT can support trillions of messages, and can process, route, and keep track of those messages to AWS endpoints and other devices reliably and securely, even when the devices aren’t connected.
    • AWS announced AWS Certificate Manager (ACM), a new service that enables customers to easily provision, manage, and deploy Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates for use with AWS services. SSL/TLS certificates are used to secure network communications and establish the identity of websites over the Internet. Certificates, which typically cost between $45 and $499, are provided to AWS customers free of charge through ACM and are verified by Amazon’s certificate authority, Amazon Trust Services.
    • AWS launched EC2 Scheduled Reserved Instances, allowing customers to reserve capacity for their applications that run on a part-time, recurring basis with a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule over the course of a one-year term.
    • AWS announced 722 significant new services and features in 2015, a 40% increase over 2014.

    Financial Guidance

    The following forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of January 28, 2016, and are subject to substantial uncertainty. 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 customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet and online commerce, and the various factors detailed below.

    First Quarter 2016 Guidance

    • Net sales are expected to be between $26.5 billion and $29.0 billion, or to grow between 17% and 28% compared with first quarter 2015.
    • Operating income is expected to be between $100 million and $700 million, compared with $255 million in first quarter 2015.
    • This guidance includes approximately $600 million for stock-based compensation and other operating expense (income), net. It assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructurings, or legal settlements are concluded and that there are no further revisions to stock-based compensation estimates.

    A conference call will be webcast live today at 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET, and will be available for at least three months atwww.amazon.com/ir. This call will contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the Company’s financial and operating results.

    These forward-looking statements are inherently difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, in addition to the factors discussed above, the amount that Amazon.com invests in new business opportunities and the timing of those investments, the mix of products sold to customers, the mix of net sales derived from products as compared with services, the extent to which we owe income taxes, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international growth and expansion, the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data center optimization, risks of inventory management, seasonality, the degree to which the Company enters into, maintains, and develops commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, payments risks, and risks of fulfillment throughput and productivity. Other risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to new products, services, and technologies, system interruptions, government regulation and taxation, and fraud. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

    Our investor relations website is www.amazon.com/ir and we encourage investors to use it as a way of easily finding information about us. We promptly make available on this website, free of charge, the reports that we file or furnish with theSEC, corporate governance information (including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics), and select press releases and social media postings, which may contain material information about us, and you may subscribe to be notified of new information posted to this site.

    About Amazon

    Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered byAmazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (in millions)
    Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
    December 31, December 31,
    2015 2014 2015

    2014

    (unaudited)
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD $ 10,709 $ 5,258 $ 14,557 $ 8,658
    OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
    Net income (loss) 482 214 596 (241 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities:
    Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, and other amortization, including capitalized content costs 1,752 1,379 6,281 4,746
    Stock-based compensation 606 408 2,119 1,497
    Other operating expense (income), net 35 36 155 129
    Losses (gains) on sales of marketable securities, net 1 5 (3 )
    Other expense (income), net 79 78 245 62
    Deferred income taxes 190 185 81 (316 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 93 115 (119 ) (6 )
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
    Inventories (1,343 ) (1,139 ) (2,187 ) (1,193 )
    Accounts receivable, net and other (1,178 ) (1,104 ) (1,755 ) (1,039 )
    Accounts payable 6,140 5,053 4,294 1,759
    Accrued expenses and other 1,836 1,451 913 706
    Additions to unearned revenue 2,422 1,378 7,401 4,433
    Amortization of previously unearned revenue (2,303 ) (1,339 ) (6,109 ) (3,692 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 8,812 6,715 11,920 6,842
    INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
    Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net (1,309 ) (1,144 ) (4,589 ) (4,893 )
    Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and other (317 ) (53 ) (795 ) (979 )
    Sales and maturities of marketable securities 1,135 355 3,025 3,349
    Purchases of marketable securities (1,359 ) (1,623 ) (4,091 ) (2,542 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (1,850 ) (2,465 ) (6,450 ) (5,065 )
    FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation (93 ) (115 ) 119 6
    Proceeds from long-term debt and other 93 5,981 353 6,359
    Repayments of long-term debt and other (940 ) (183 ) (1,652 ) (513 )
    Principal repayments of capital lease obligations (724 ) (406 ) (2,462 ) (1,285 )
    Principal repayments of finance lease obligations (26 ) (68 ) (121 ) (135 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (1,690 ) 5,209 (3,763 ) 4,432
    Foreign-currency effect on cash and cash equivalents (91 ) (160 ) (374 ) (310 )
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 5,181 9,299 1,333 5,899
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD $ 15,890 $ 14,557 $ 15,890 $ 14,557
    SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
    Cash paid for interest on long-term debt $ 148 $ 36 $ 325 $ 91
    Cash paid for interest on capital and finance lease obligations 44 29 153 86
    Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) 73 30 273 177
    Property and equipment acquired under capital leases 1,332 1,214 4,717 4,008
    Property and equipment acquired under build-to-suit leases 163 214 544 920
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Operations
    (in millions, except per share data)
    Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
    December 31, December 31,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    (unaudited)
    Net product sales $ 26,618 $ 23,102 $ 79,268 $ 70,080
    Net service sales 9,129 6,226 27,738 18,908
    Total net sales 35,747 29,328 107,006 88,988
    Operating expenses (1):
    Cost of sales 24,341 20,671 71,651 62,752
    Fulfillment 4,546 3,424 13,410 10,766
    Marketing 1,755 1,526 5,254 4,332
    Technology and content 3,571 2,635 12,540 9,275
    General and administrative 390 442 1,747 1,552
    Other operating expense (income), net 36 39 171 133
    Total operating expenses 34,639 28,737 104,773 88,810
    Income from operations 1,108 591 2,233 178
    Interest income 13 8 50 39
    Interest expense (115 ) (74 ) (459 ) (210 )
    Other income (expense), net (68 ) (96 ) (256 ) (118 )
    Total non-operating income (expense) (170 ) (162 ) (665 ) (289 )
    Income (loss) before income taxes 938 429 1,568 (111 )
    Provision for income taxes (453 ) (205 ) (950 ) (167 )
    Equity-method investment activity, net of tax (3 ) (10 ) (22 ) 37
    Net income (loss) $ 482 $ 214 $ 596 $ (241 )
    Basic earnings per share $ 1.03 $ 0.46 $ 1.28 $ (0.52 )
    Diluted earnings per share $ 1.00 $ 0.45 $ 1.25 $ (0.52 )
    Weighted-average shares used in computation of earnings per share:
    Basic 470 464 467 462

    Diluted

    481 472 477 462

    ______________________________

    (1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:
    Fulfillment $ 137 $ 97 $ 482 $ 375
    Marketing 57 34 190 125
    Technology and content 364 226 1,224 804
    General and administrative 48 51 223 193
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
    (in millions)

    Three Months Ended

    Twelve Months Ended
    December 31, December 31,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    (unaudited)
    Net income (loss) $ 482 $ 214 $ 596 $ (241 )
    Other comprehensive income (loss):
    Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $7, $(3), $10, and $(3) (40 ) (116 ) (210 ) (325 )
    Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities:
    Unrealized gains (losses), net of tax of $1, $1, $(5), and $1 (9 ) 2 (7 ) 2
    Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in “Other income (expense), net,” net of tax of $0, $(1), $0, and $(1) 1 (2 ) 5 (3 )
    Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities (8 ) (2 ) (1 )
    Total other comprehensive income (loss) (48 ) (116 ) (212 ) (326 )
    Comprehensive income (loss) $ 434 $ 98 $ 384 $ (567 )
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Segment Information
    (in millions)
    Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
    December 31, December 31,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    (unaudited)
    North America
    Net sales $ 21,501 $ 17,333 $ 63,708 $ 50,834
    Segment operating expenses (1) 20,498 16,600 60,957 49,542
    Segment operating income (loss) $ 1,003 $ 733 $ 2,751 $ 1,292
    International
    Net sales $ 11,841 $ 10,575 $ 35,418 $ 33,510
    Segment operating expenses (1) 11,781 10,510 35,509 33,654
    Segment operating income (loss) $ 60 $ 65 $ (91 ) $ (144 )
    AWS
    Net sales $ 2,405 $ 1,420 $ 7,880 $ 4,644
    Segment operating expenses (1) 1,718 1,180 6,017 3,984
    Segment operating income (loss) $ 687 $ 240 $ 1,863 $ 660
    Consolidated
    Net sales $ 35,747 $ 29,328 $ 107,006 $ 88,988
    Segment operating expenses (1) 33,997 28,290 102,483 87,180
    Segment operating income (loss) 1,750 1,038 4,523 1,808
    Stock-based compensation (606 ) (408 ) (2,119 ) (1,497 )
    Other operating income (expense), net (36 ) (39 ) (171 ) (133 )
    Income from operations 1,108 591 2,233 178
    Total non-operating income (expense) (170 ) (162 ) (665 ) (289 )
    Provision for income taxes (453 ) (205 ) (950 ) (167 )
    Equity-method investment activity, net of tax (3 ) (10 ) (22 ) 37
    Net income (loss) $ 482 $ 214 $ 596 $ (241 )
    Segment Highlights:
    Y/Y net sales growth:
    North America 24 % 21 % 25 % 23 %
    International 12 3 6 12
    AWS 69 47 70 49
    Consolidated 22 15 20 20
    Net sales mix:
    North America 60 % 59 % 60 % 57 %
    International 33 36 33 38
    AWS 7 5 7 5
    Consolidated 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 %

    ______________________________

    (1) Excludes stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net,” which are not allocated to segments.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Net Sales Information
    (in millions)
    Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
    December 31, December 31,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    (unaudited)
    Net Sales:
    North America
    Media $ 3,931 $ 3,544 $ 12,483 $ 11,567
    Electronics and other general merchandise 17,325 13,529 50,401 38,517
    Other (1) 245 260 824 750
    Total North America $ 21,501 $ 17,333 $ 63,708 $ 50,834
    International
    Media $ 3,292 $ 3,406 $ 10,026 $ 10,938
    Electronics and other general merchandise 8,491 7,109 25,196 22,369
    Other (1) 58 60 196 203
    Total International $ 11,841 $ 10,575 $ 35,418 $ 33,510
    Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
    North America
    Media 11 % 1 % 8 % 7 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 28 27 31 28
    Other (6 ) 28 10 22
    Total North America 24 21 25 23
    International
    Media (3 )% (8 )% (8 )% %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 19 10 13 19
    Other (3 ) (6 ) (3 ) (3 )
    Total International 12 3 6 12
    Year-over-year Percentage Growth, excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates:
    North America
    Media 12 % 1 % 8 % 7 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 28 27 31 29
    Other (6 ) 28 10 22
    Total North America 24 21 26 23
    International
    Media 5 % (1 )% 4 % 2 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 31 19 29 21
    Other 5 1 10 (3 )
    Total International 22 12 21 14

    ______________________________

    (1) Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in millions, except per share data)
    December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
    ASSETS
    Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 15,890 $ 14,557
    Marketable securities 3,918 2,859
    Inventories 10,243 8,299
    Accounts receivable, net and other 6,423 5,612
    Total current assets 36,474 31,327
    Property and equipment, net 21,838 16,967
    Goodwill 3,759 3,319
    Other assets 3,373 2,892
    Total assets $ 65,444 $ 54,505
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
    Current liabilities:
    Accounts payable $ 20,397 $ 16,459
    Accrued expenses and other 10,384 9,807
    Unearned revenue 3,118 1,823
    Total current liabilities 33,899 28,089
    Long-term debt 8,235 8,265
    Other long-term liabilities 9,926 7,410
    Commitments and contingencies
    Stockholders’ equity:
    Preferred stock, $0.01 par value:
    Authorized shares — 500
    Issued and outstanding shares — none
    Common stock, $0.01 par value:
    Authorized shares — 5,000
    Issued shares — 494 and 488
    Outstanding shares — 471 and 465 5 5
    Treasury stock, at cost (1,837 ) (1,837 )
    Additional paid-in capital 13,394 11,135
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss (723 ) (511 )
    Retained earnings 2,545 1,949
    Total stockholders’ equity 13,384 10,741
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 65,444 $ 54,505
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions, except per share data)
    (unaudited)

    Y/Y %
    Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Change
    Cash Flows and Shares
    Operating cash flow — trailing twelve months (TTM) $ 6,842 $ 7,845 $ 8,980 $ 9,823 $ 11,920 74 %
    Operating cash flow — TTM Y/Y growth (decline) 25 % 47 % 69 % 72 % 74 % N/A
    Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net — TTM $ 4,893 $ 4,684 $ 4,607 $ 4,424 $ 4,589

    (6

    )%

    Principal repayments of capital lease obligations — TTM $ 1,285 $ 1,537 $ 1,832 $ 2,144 $ 2,462 92 %
    Principal repayments of finance lease obligations — TTM $ 135 $ 132 $ 155 $ 163 $ 121 (11 )%
    Property and equipment acquired under capital leases — TTM $ 4,008 $ 4,246 $ 4,710 $ 4,599 $ 4,717 18 %
    Free cash flow — TTM (1) $ 1,949 $ 3,161 $ 4,373 $ 5,399 $ 7,331 276 %
    Invested capital (2) $ 21,021 $ 23,090 $ 25,289 $ 27,425 $ 29,694 41 %
    Free cash flow less lease principal repayments — TTM (3) $ 529 $ 1,492 $ 2,386 $ 3,092 $ 4,748 797 %
    Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases — TTM (4) $ (2,194 ) $ (1,217 ) $ (492 ) $ 637 $ 2,493 N/A
    Common shares and stock-based awards outstanding 483 483 488 489 490 1 %
    Common shares outstanding 465 466 468 469 471 1 %
    Stock-based awards outstanding 18 17 20 20 19 7 %
    Stock-based awards outstanding — % of common shares outstanding 3.8 % 3.8 % 4.4 % 4.3 % 4.1 % N/A
    Results of Operations
    Worldwide (WW) net sales $ 29,328 $ 22,717 $ 23,185 $ 25,358 $ 35,747 22 %
    WW net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 18 % 22 % 27 % 30 % 26 % N/A
    WW net sales — TTM $ 88,988 $ 91,963 $ 95,808 $ 100,588 $ 107,006 20 %
    WW net sales — TTM Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 20 % 20 % 22 % 24 % 26 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) $ 591 $ 255 $ 464 $ 406 $ 1,108 88 %
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X 22 % 90 % N/A N/A 84 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of WW net sales 2.0 % 1.1 % 2.0 % 1.6 % 3.1 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ 178 $ 287 $ 765 $ 1,715 $ 2,233 N/A
    Operating income/loss — TTM Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (79 )% (56 )% 35 % N/A N/A N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of WW net sales 0.2 % 0.3 % 0.8 % 1.7 % 2.1 % N/A
    Net income (loss) $ 214 $ (57 ) $ 92 $ 79 $ 482 125 %
    Net income (loss) per diluted share $ 0.45 $ (0.12 ) $ 0.19 $ 0.17 $ 1.00 121 %
    Net income (loss) — TTM $ (241 ) $ (405 ) $ (188 ) $ 328 $ 596 N/A
    Net income (loss) per diluted share — TTM $ (0.52 ) $ (0.88 ) $ (0.41 ) $ 0.69 $ 1.25 N/A

    ______________________________

    (1) Free cash flow is cash flow from operations reduced by “Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, net” which is included in cash flow from investing activities.

    (2) Average Total Assets minus Current Liabilities (excluding current portion of Long-Term Debt) over five quarter ends.

    (3) Free cash flow less lease principal repayments is free cash flow reduced by “Principal repayments of capital lease obligations,” and “Principal repayments of finance lease obligations,” which are included in cash flow from financing activities.

    (4) Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases is free cash flow reduced by “Principal repayments of finance lease obligations,” which are included in cash flow from financing activities, and property and equipment acquired under capital leases. In this measure, property and equipment acquired under capital leases is reflected as if these assets had been purchased with cash, which is not the case as these assets have been leased.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Y/Y %
    Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Change
    Segments
    North America Segment:
    Net sales $ 17,333 $ 13,406 $ 13,796 $ 15,006 $ 21,501 24 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 21 % 24 % 26 % 29 % 24 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM $ 50,834 $ 53,432 $ 56,233 $ 59,540 $ 63,708 25 %
    Operating income (loss) $ 733 $ 517 $ 703 $ 528 $ 1,003 37 %
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X 77 % 111 % N/A 36 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of North America net sales 4.2 % 3.9 % 5.1 % 3.5 % 4.7 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ 1,292 $ 1,520 $ 1,893 $ 2,480 $ 2,751 113 %
    Operating margin — TTM % of North America net sales 2.5 % 2.8 % 3.4 % 4.2 % 4.3 % N/A
    International Segment:
    Net sales $ 10,575 $ 7,745 $ 7,565 $ 8,267 $ 11,841 12 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 12 % 14 % 22 % 24 % 22 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM $ 33,510 $ 33,371 $ 33,598 $ 34,154 $ 35,418 6 %
    Net sales — TTM % of WW net sales 38 % 36 % 35 % 34 % 33 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) $ 65 $ (76 ) $ (19 ) $ (56 ) $ 60 (7 )%
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X N/A N/A N/A 65 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of International net sales 0.6 % (1.0 )% (0.2 )% (0.7 )% 0.5 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ (144 ) $ (188 ) $ (205 ) $ (86 ) $ (91 ) (36 )%
    Operating margin — TTM % of International net sales (0.4 )% (0.6 )% (0.6 )% (0.3 )% (0.3 )% N/A
    AWS Segment:
    Net sales $ 1,420 $ 1,566 $ 1,824 $ 2,085 $ 2,405 69 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 47 % 49 % 81 % 78 % 69 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM $ 4,644 $ 5,160 $ 5,977 $ 6,894 $ 7,880 70 %
    Net sales — TTM % of WW net sales 5 % 6 % 6 % 7 % 7 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) $ 240 $ 265 $ 391 $ 521 $ 687 186 %
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (13 )% 314 % 353 % 161 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of AWS net sales 16.9 % 16.9 % 21.4 % 25.0 % 28.5 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ 660 $ 680 $ 993 $ 1,417 $ 1,863 182 %
    Operating margin — TTM % of AWS net sales 14.2 % 13.2 % 16.6 % 20.6 % 23.6 % N/A
    Consolidated Segments:
    Operating expenses (5) $ 28,290 $ 22,011 $ 22,110 $ 24,365 $ 33,997 20 %
    Operating expenses — TTM (5) $ 87,180 $ 89,951 $ 93,126 $ 96,777 $ 102,483 18 %
    Operating income (loss) $ 1,038 $ 706 $ 1,075 $ 993 $ 1,750 69 %
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X 22 % 45 % 168 % N/A 67 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of Consolidated sales 3.5 % 3.1 % 4.6 % 3.9 % 4.9 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ 1,808 $ 2,012 $ 2,682 $ 3,811 $ 4,523 150 %
    Operating income/loss — TTM Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (10 )% (1 )% 34 % 134 % 149 % N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of Consolidated net sales 2.0 % 2.2 % 2.8 % 3.8 % 4.2 % N/A

    ______________________________

    (5) Represents cost of sales, fulfillment, marketing, technology and content, and general and administrative operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions, except inventory turnover, accounts payable days and employee data)
    (unaudited)
    Y/Y %
    Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Change
    Supplemental
    Supplemental North America Segment Net Sales:
    Media $ 3,544 $ 2,969 $ 2,620 $ 2,963 $ 3,931 11 %
    Media — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 1 % 5 % 7 % 9 % 12 % N/A
    Media — TTM $ 11,567 $ 11,711 $ 11,867 $ 12,096 $ 12,483 8 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise $ 13,529 $ 10,250 $ 10,987 $ 11,840 $ 17,325 28 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 27 % 31 % 32 % 35 % 28 % N/A
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM $ 38,517 $ 40,938 $ 43,559 $ 46,606 $ 50,401 31 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM % of North America net sales 76 % 77 % 77 % 78 % 79 % N/A
    Other $ 260 $ 187 $ 189 $ 203 $ 245 (6 )%
    Supplemental International Segment Net Sales:
    Media $ 3,406 $ 2,320 $ 2,094 $ 2,320 $ 3,292 (3 )%
    Media — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X (1 )% 2 % 3 % 6 % 5 % N/A
    Media — TTM $ 10,938 $ 10,615 $ 10,329 $ 10,140 $ 10,026 (8 )%
    Electronics and other general merchandise $ 7,109 $ 5,378 $ 5,425 $ 5,901 $ 8,491 19 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 19 % 21 % 31 % 32 % 31 % N/A
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM $ 22,369 $ 22,559 $ 23,072 $ 23,814 $ 25,196 13 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM % of International net sales 67 % 68 % 69 % 70 % 71 % N/A
    Other $ 60 $ 47 $ 46 $ 46 $ 58 (3 )%
    Balance Sheet
    Cash and marketable securities — ending $ 17,416 $ 13,781 $ 14,001 $ 14,428 $ 19,808 14 %
    Inventory, net — ending $ 8,299 $ 7,369 $ 7,470 $ 8,981 $ 10,243 23 %
    Inventory turnover, average — TTM 8.6 8.8 8.9 8.6 8.5 (2 )%
    Property and equipment, net — ending $ 16,967 $ 17,736 $ 19,479 $ 20,636 $ 21,838 29 %
    Accounts payable — ending $ 16,459 $ 11,917 $ 12,391 $ 14,437 $ 20,397 24 %
    Accounts payable days — ending 73 70 74 79 77 5 %
    Other
    WW shipping revenue $ 1,701 $ 1,299 $ 1,399 $ 1,494 $ 2,328 37 %
    WW shipping revenue – % of net sales (6) 6.1 % 6.1 % 6.6 % 6.4 % 7.0 % N/A
    WW shipping costs $ 3,049 $ 2,309 $ 2,340 $ 2,720 $ 4,170 37 %
    WW shipping costs – % of net sales (6) 10.9 % 10.9 % 11.0 % 11.7 % 12.5 % N/A
    WW net shipping costs $ 1,348 $ 1,010 $ 941 $ 1,226 $ 1,842 37 %
    WW net shipping costs — % of WW net sales (6) 4.8 % 4.8 % 4.4 % 5.3 % 5.5 % N/A
    WW paid units — Y/Y growth 20 % 20 % 22 % 26 % 26 % N/A
    WW seller unit mix — % of WW paid units 43 % 44 % 45 % 46 % 47 % N/A
    Employees (full-time and part-time; excludes contractors & temporary personnel) 154,100 165,000 183,100 222,400 230,800 50 %

    ______________________________

    (6) Includes North America and International segment net sales.

    Amazon.com, Inc.
    Certain Definitions

    Customer Accounts

    • References to customers mean customer accounts, which are unique e-mail addresses, established either when a customer places an order or when a customer orders from other sellers on our websites. Customer accounts exclude certain customers, including customers associated with certain of our acquisitions, Amazon Payments customers, AWS customers, and the customers of select companies with whom we have a technology alliance or marketing and promotional relationship. Customers are considered active when they have placed an order during the preceding twelve-month period.

    Seller Accounts

    • References to sellers means seller accounts, which are established when a seller receives an order from a customer account. Sellers are considered active when they have received an order from a customer during the preceding twelve-month period.

    AWS Customers

    • References to AWS customers mean unique AWS customer accounts, which are unique e-mail addresses that are eligible to use AWS services. This includes AWS accounts in the AWS free tier. Multiple users accessing AWS services via one account are counted as a single account. Customers are considered active when they have had AWS usage activity during the preceding one-month period.

    Units

    Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon To Run First-Ever Super Bowl Ad

    Amazon has never advertised during the Super Bowl before, but that’s about to change as the company hopes to rev up sales of its Echo smart device.

    Amazon is giving us a sneak peek at the spot, which features Alec Baldwin and Dan Marino asking Alexa (the assistant that powers Echo) about snack stadiums.

    It looks like they’re going with the hashtag #Baldwinbowl.

    Amazon launched Echo last summer. It’s a smart device that talks to you, lets you add items to a shopping list, and gives you info, music, news, weather, etc. It has sold pretty well apparently. The company said it was the number one best seller across all $100+ products available on Amazon.com on Black Friday.

    In November, Amazon Echo was added to the inventories of 3,000 stores throughout the U.S. including The Home Depot, Staples, Sears, Brookstone, Radioshack, Fred Meyer, P.C. Richard & Son, and others.

    Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon will soon release a smaller, portable version of Echo. It’s expected to sell for a lower price than the $180 device that exists

    Image via YouTube

  • Amazon: AWS SDK for Unity Now Part of SDK for .NET

    Amazon: AWS SDK for Unity Now Part of SDK for .NET

    Amazon announced that AWS SDK for Unity is now part of AWS SDK for .NET.

    Last year, the company announced the general availability of AWS SDK for Unity, but has since added support for other AWS services including Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS), AWS Lambda, and Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS).

    “The AWS SDK for Unity was created from a fork of the AWS SDK for .NET and supported only a subset of its features,” says Amazon’s Karthik Saligrama. “As the AWS SDK for Unity added support for more features, we realized that forking did not allow us to simultaneously release patches or new features on the AWS SDK for .NET and the AWS SDK for Unity. It was also difficult to accept pull requests from the open source community without diverging from the AWS SDK for .NET.”

    “Starting today, we are releasing to our github branch a preview version of the AWS SDK for .NET with Unity components,” Saligrama says. “Currently, the SDK can be built on Windows machines only. The branch contains test cases for all services supported on Unity, which can be run on Android, iOS, or on the Unity IDE.”

    Saligrama discusses changes made to ake the SDK easier to configure and use here. This includes AWSPrefab, releasing assemblies in the Unity package, releasing the source code under Apache license, and the SDK version being in sync with the AWS SDK for .NET version.

    Image via Amazon

  • Here’s What Amazon Workmail is All About

    Here’s What Amazon Workmail is All About

    Amazon unveiled a preview of Amazon Workmail last year. It’s a managed cloud email and calendaring product that works with existing desktop and mobile clients.

    The company announced that it is now generally available in three Amazon Web Services regions: US East, US West, and Europe.

    Security features include location control, encryption of stored data, message scanning (for spam/virus protection), and policies & actions for controlling mobile devices.

    Amazon’s Jeff Bar runs down features they’ve added since the preview launch in a blog post. These include: integration with Key Management Service (KMS), certifications, regional data control, easy setup, additional client support (Apple Mail, Outlook), resource creation, and migration/interoperability. Barr writes:

    We are working on interoperability support that will allow users of Amazon WorkMail to benefit from a single Global Address Book, and to access free/busy calendar information across both environments. I’ll have more information on this feature in the near future.

    We are also working on an email journaling feature. This feature will allow you to use your existing email archiving system to capture and preserve all Amazon WorkMail communication.

    The service costs $4 per user per month. This includes 50GB of storage per user. There’s a 30-day free trial for up to 25 users.

    Image via Amazon

  • AWS IoT Is Now Generally Available

    AWS IoT Is Now Generally Available

    Amazon announced that the AWS IoT, which launched in beta a few months ago, is now generally available. This is the company’s managed cloud platform that lets connected devices interact with cloud applications and other devices.

    In a post on the AWS blog, Amazon’s Jeff Barr writes:

    We built AWS IoT because connected devices are proliferating. They are in your house, your car, your office, your school, and perhaps even in your body! Like some of our more advanced customers, we have been building systems around connected devices for quite some time. Our experience with Amazon Robotics, drones (Amazon Prime Air), the Amazon Echo, the Dash Button, and multiple generations of Kindles has given us a well-informed perspective on how to serve this really important emerging market. Behind the scenes, AWS services such as AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), and Amazon Redshift provide the responsive, highly scalable infrastructure needed to build a robust IoT application.

    When we talked to our customers and to our own engineers, we learned quite a bit about the pain points that add complexity and development time to IoT applications. They told us that connecting devices to the cloud is overly complex due to the variety of SDKs and protocols that they need to support in a secure and scalable fashion. Making this even more difficult is the fact that many devices “feature” intermittent connectivity to the Internet, even as application logic shifts from the device to the cloud. Finally, the sheer volume of data generated by the sensors attached to the devices mandates a Big Data approach to storage, analytics, and visualization.

    In the post, Barr talks about how the Philips HealthSuite platform and Scout Alarm are using AWS IoT. Uses cases Amazon highlights include: agriculture, cars/trucks, consumer devices, gaming, home automation, logistics, medical, municipal infrastructure, oil/gas, and robotics.

    You can find the documentation here.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Prime Air Drone Gets Upgrade, More Models To Come

    Amazon Prime Air Drone Gets Upgrade, More Models To Come

    It will be two years ago this week that Amazon first unveiled Prime Air, its ambitions drone-based package delivery initiative. The company is now showing off a new version.

    Here’s the latest promo video showing off the new hybrid design.

    According to the company, there will be different models designed for different environments in the future. This particular one can fly for fifteen miles and knows what is happening around it. It can sense and avoid obstacles on the ground and in the air.

    When the machine arrives at its destination, it scans the ground, slowly lowers itself for landing and drops off the package. It then flies straight back up and heads back.

    “We’re excited about Prime Air — a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using small unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones,” the company says on the project’s website. “Prime Air has great potential to enhance the services we already provide to millions of customers by providing rapid parcel delivery that will also increase the overall safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Putting Prime Air into service will take some time, but we will deploy when we have the regulatory support needed to realize our vision.”

    The new model takes off vertically and flies horizontally. It can go up to 55 miles per hour. As you can see from the image and video, it lacks the quadcopter design Amazon initially showed off.

    It remains to be seen when we might see these things actually out delivering packages to people here in the U.S. There are still regulatory hurdles keeping it from becoming a reality. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to establish rules for commercial drone in the coming months.

    Image via Amazon (YouTube)

  • Amazon Is Reportedly Pulling Its Nazi Imagery From Subway Cars

    Amazon Is Reportedly Pulling Its Nazi Imagery From Subway Cars

    As earlier reported, Amazon plastered Nazi-esque imagery all over subway cars in New York City to promote its new original series Man in the High Castle.

    The show, based on a novel by Philip K Dick, tells of an alternate history in which the Axis powers won the second World War. While Amazon’s Nazi imagery all ties in directly with the concept of the show, the ad campaign obviously rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

    Variety is now reporting that the company is pulling the ads:

    “Amazon has just decided to pull the ads,” Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for New York City Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said by email Tuesday. Executives at Amazon were not available for immediate comment.

    The message has already been received loud and clear, however. The incident raised awareness for the show without question, and will now forever live in the memories of people who recall that time Amazon put a bunch of Nazi imagery up in New York.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Black Friday Deals Store Opens For Business

    Amazon Black Friday Deals Store Opens For Business

    Halloween is over and November has begun, so that can only mean one thing. Black Friday is getting closer, and Amazon has launched its Black Friday Deals Store and Electronics Holiday Gift Guide.

    “Shoppers come to Amazon to discover the best deals on the best gifts and this year, we’re pulling out all of the stops,” said Steve Shure, Vice President, Amazon Consumer Marketing. “We’re giving Prime members early access to more than 30,000 Lightning Deals and for all customers, tens of thousands of great deals in the Black Friday Deals store. With incredible deals, fast delivery options, curated lists like our Electronics Holiday Gift Guide, gift recommendations, customer reviews and more, we’re making it easier than ever for customers to save time and money on their holiday shopping.”

    Prime members get access to over 30,000 lightning deals 30 minutes before other shoppers. This includes early access to the following deals:

    – 30% off Sony XBR55X900C 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD TV with a Blu-ray Player

    – $170 off the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens

    – 47% off Jaybird X Sport Bluetooth Headphones

    – Optima HD37 Full 3D 1080p 2600 Lumens DLP Home Cinema Projector for less than $800

    – 40% off select Frye shoes, handbags, accessories and luggage/travel for men and women

    – 40% off select toys from top construction brands including K’NEX, Tegu, and Magformer

    – Up to 50% off select Home Automation products

    – 20% or more off select Wilton and Pyrex bakeware products

    – Deals from top Kitchen brands including Rubbermaid, KitchenAid, Paderno, and Instant Pot

    – $10 off select $50 Black & Decker product purchases

    – Up to 50% off hundreds of PetSafe items

    The store will run through December 22. You can find it at Amazon.com/blackfriday.

    The Electronics Holiday Gift Guide has over 600 items organized by category and gift recipient.

  • Google, Amazon Join Not-As-Cool-As-It-Sounds Drone Task Force

    Google, Amazon Join Not-As-Cool-As-It-Sounds Drone Task Force

    The Federal Aviation Administration is getting proactive on drones, as the popularity of the unmanned aircraft systems (both personal and commercial) is only going to increase.

    The FAA and the Department of Transportation have announced a UAS Task Force and filled it with companies and organizations with stakes in the business of drones.

    The goal of the Task Force appears to be drone registration,

    “DOT Sec. Foxx set a deadline of Nov. 20 for the Task Force to complete its recommendations and work is already underway. The group will meet formally from Nov. 3-5 before developing recommendations on a streamlined registration process and minimum requirements on which unmanned aircraft should be registered. Given the urgency of this issue, the DOT and FAA will move expeditiously to consider the Task Force’s recommendations.”

    So, who’s on this drone Task Force?

    Amazon, Google, Best Buy, GoPro, and Walmart, among others.

    Here’s the full list, according to the FAA:

    Nancy Egan – 3D Robotics
    Richard Hanson – Academy of Model Aeronautics
    George Novak – Aerospace Industries Association
    Chuck Hogeman and Randy Kenagy – Air Line Pilots Association
    Jim Coon – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
    Sean Cassidy – Amazon Prime Air
    Ben Gielow – Amazon Retail
    Justin Towles – American Association of Airport Executives
    Brian Wynne – Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
    Parker Brugge – Best Buy
    Douglas Johnson – Consumer Electronics Association
    Brendan Schulman – DJI
    Paul Feldman – General Aviation Manufacturers Association
    Dave Vos – GoogleX (Co-Chair)
    Tony Bates – GoPro
    Matt Zuccaro – Helicopter Association International
    Mike Fergus – International Association of Chiefs of Police
    John Perry – Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors
    Brandon Declet – Measure
    Randall Burdett – National Association of State Aviation Officials
    Sarah Wolf – National Business Aviation Association
    Baptiste Tripard – Parrot
    Tyler Collins – PrecisionHawk
    Gregory McNeal – Small UAV Coalition
    Thomas Head – Walmart

    Walmart is working on delivery drones. Google is too. We all know Amazon is champing at the bit to get Amazon Prime Air off the ground. Your dad is getting a drone too. You probably are. Drones are coming, and the FAA knows it needs to do everything it can to make sure it doesn’t devolve into a cluster.

    Image via ZullyC3P, Wikimedia Commons

  • Walmart Wants to Use Delivery Drones Too

    Walmart Wants to Use Delivery Drones Too

    Walmart is getting in the drone delivery game.

    According to a report from Reuters, the company applied for a drone exemption asking US regulators to give them to go-ahead to test drones for home delivery, among other tasks.

    From Reuters:

    The world’s largest retailer by revenue has for several months been conducting indoor tests of small unmanned aircraft systems – the term regulators use for drones – and is now seeking for the first time to test the machines outdoors. It plans to use drones manufactured by China’s SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd.

    In addition to having drones take inventory of trailers outside its warehouses and perform other tasks aimed at making its distribution system more efficient, Wal-Mart is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to research drone use in “deliveries to customers at Walmart facilities, as well as to consumer homes,” according to a copy of the application reviewed by Reuters.

    “Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet,” said a Walmart spokesperson. “There is a Walmart within five miles of 70 percent of the U.S. population, which creates some unique and interesting possibilities for serving customers with drones.”

    It’s likely the Federal Aviation Administration will approve Walmart’s request – it’s given out a couple thousand of these commercial drone exemptions over the past few years. Amazon got theirs back in March.

    But these testing permissions come with a lot of restrictions – like when, where, how high, and who can man said drones. A few months ago, Amazon pushed for a sort of air traffic control system for drones, so that they can be operated without line-of-sight. Both NASA and Google have also suggested that a high-speed drone highway, about 200 to 400 feet up, is the way to go.

    It’s just a matter of time before the skies are filled with drones delivering new iPhones, makeup, and pizza. Regulators are surely moving too slowly for the likes of companies like Amazon and now, Walmart – but it’s going to happen eventually.

    And customers want drone delivery, and they’re willing to pay for it.

  • Amazon Q3 Earnings Reported; Sales up 23% to $25.4 Billion

    Amazon released its Q3 earnings report, including a 23% increase in sales year-over-year at $25.4 billion.

    Net income was $79 million ($0.17 per diluted share) , compared with net loss of $437 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, in third quarter 2014.

    Operating cash flow was up 72% at $9.8 billion with free cash flow increasing to $5.4 billion.

    CEO Jeff Bezos said, “For the first time, we’re recommending you bring home a six-pack for the whole family. At a price of $50 for one or $250 for a six-pack, Fire sets a new bar for what customers should expect from a low-cost tablet. This is one more step in our mission to bring customers premium products at non-premium prices. Fire is the #1 best-selling product on Amazon.com since launch, and based on the strength of the customer response, we are building millions more than we’d already planned.”

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 22, 2015– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2015.

    Operating cash flow increased 72% to $9.8 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $5.7 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2014. Free cash flow increased to $5.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $1.1 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2014. Additional measures of free cash flow can be found in the “Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics.”

    Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 489 million on September 30, 2015, compared with 481 million one year ago.

    Net sales increased 23% to $25.4 billion in the third quarter, compared with $20.6 billion in third quarter 2014. Excluding the $1.3 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 30% compared to third quarter 2014.

    Operating income was $406 million in the third quarter, compared with operating loss of $544 million in third quarter 2014.

    Net income was $79 million in the third quarter, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared with net loss of $437 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, in third quarter 2014.

    “For the first time, we’re recommending you bring home a six-pack for the whole family,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “At a price of$50 for one or $250 for a six-pack, Fire sets a new bar for what customers should expect from a low-cost tablet. This is one more step in our mission to bring customers premium products at non-premium prices. Fire is the #1 best-selling product on Amazon.com since launch, and based on the strength of the customer response, we are building millions more than we’d already planned.”

    Highlights

    • Amazon introduced four new tablets, including Fire, which has the best display on any tablet under $50 and is also available for an even lower price when purchased in a six-pack; Fire HD, the incredibly thin and light 8” and 10.1” tablets designed from the ground up for entertainment; and Fire Kids Edition, a tablet built for kids and their parents — now under $100.
    • Amazon introduced three new Fire TV devices, all with Alexa integration. The new Fire TV is 75% more powerful and has the best-in-class Wi-Fi and 4K Ultra HD — and is still less than $100. The new Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote adds voice search — and costs less than $50. Fire TV Gaming Edition combines the new Fire TV, new game controller, a 32GB microSD card, and two games — Shovel Knight and Disney’s DuckTales — all for under $140.
    • Amazon launched Fire TV and Fire TV Stick for Japanese customers, which provides easy, instant access to Prime Video, Amazon Video, Hulu, GYAO!, Netflix, YouTube.com, Niconico, Video Market, and more. In addition to the device, Amazon launched Prime Video on Amazon.co.jp, exclusively for Prime members, with thousands of popular Japanese and U.S. movies and TV shows, anime series, music concerts, and variety shows, plus Amazon’s own award-winning originals.
    • Alexa, the brain behind Echo, continues to get smarter with new features including support for shared Google calendars, integration of additional connected home devices from SmartThings and Insteon, NCAA football scores and schedules, and more.
    • Amazon announced new investments from the $100 million Alexa Fund, including Petnet, the creator of the SmartFeeder, an app-enabled intelligent feeding appliance; Musaic, a high-resolution wireless HiFi system that combines home automation to create a connected smart home; and Rachio, maker of a smart sprinkler controller that helps customers intelligently water their yards.
    • Amazon Dash Button has received an overwhelmingly positive customer response and selection continues to grow; customers can now choose from over 500 products from 29 popular brands. Dash Replenishment Service (DRS) now includes 15 device makers, such as General Electric,Samsung, and Oster. The first DRS-enabled devices are expected to ship later this year.
    • Amazon announced Amazon Underground, a new app for Android phones that includes the same functionality of the Amazon mobile shopping app plus over ten thousand dollars’ worth of apps, games, and in-app items, for free.
    • Amazon Studios’ critically-acclaimed series, Transparent, won five Emmys, including Jeffrey Tambor’s award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Jill Soloway’s award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
    • Amazon announced an agreement with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and the trio’s longtime executive producer, Andy Wilman, to make a new car show exclusively for Prime members worldwide. The award-winning team has committed to three seasons.
    • Amazon Studios recently debuted new original series Red Oaks, Hand of God, and Wishenpoof, with more content coming soon, including the much anticipated The Man in the High Castle and season two of Transparent and Tumble Leaf. In addition, Amazon has announced 12 pilots that are scheduled to debut later this year.
    • Amazon.co.uk launched Prime Music, giving U.K. Prime members over one million songs and hundreds of playlists to stream and download for free.
    • Prime Music expanded its catalog in the U.S. and U.K. with the addition of artists from Universal Music Group, including Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Of Monsters and Men, Ellie Goulding, and many more award-winning popular and legendary artists.
    • Prime Now added eight metro areas in the past quarter. Prime members can now choose from tens of thousands of daily essentials with free two-hour and paid one-hour delivery in 17 locations around the world.
    • Amazon launched Amazon Pantry in Japan and Germany. Amazon Pantry offers Prime members a different way to shop, allowing them to purchase daily essentials in everyday sizes and have items delivered for a low, flat-rate fee per Amazon Pantry box.
    • Amazon introduced Handmade at Amazon, featuring genuinely handcrafted products sold directly from artisans around the world.
    • Customers in both the U.K. and France rated Amazon as their top retailer based on separate surveys conducted by Havas and OC&C Strategy Consultants.
    • Amazon continues to expand its international categories with the launch of the Business, Industrial and Scientific Supplies store for Japan, U.K.,Germany, France, Italy, and Spain with hundreds of thousands of items available for businesses. Additionally, Amazon launched Grocery for Italy,France, and Spain with thousands of food products and household essentials from local producers and international brands.
    • Amazon expects to create over 100,000 seasonal positions in North America, and over 40,000 across its European Fulfillment Network this holiday season. Last year, Amazon converted tens of thousands of temporary employees into regular, full-time roles, and expects to do the same this year.
    • Since the fulfillment center tour program launched last year, over 26,000 people have visited one of the 18 facilities where tours are offered worldwide.
    • Launched in late June, Amazon.com.mx has expanded selection to 32 million items, added three new categories, started offering monthly installments for select purchases, and expanded delivery on weekends and holidays to over 70% of zip codes in Mexico City.
    • Amazon.in continues to be India’s largest store with over 30 million products, having added an average of over 40,000 products a day so far in 2015.
    • In the past year, the number of sellers on the Amazon.in platform has increased more than 250%, and nearly 90% of Indian sellers are using Amazon’s logistics and warehousing services. To serve this growing storage need, Amazon.in has nearly tripled its fulfillment capacity year-over-year.
    • In the third quarter, active customers on Amazon.in grew over 230% year-over-year.
    • So far, Amazon.in’s 2015 Diwali season is our largest ever, with daily sales of approximately 4x the prior year.
    • Amazon launched Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.in with over one million titles for 199 rupees a month, less than the average price of a single print book.
    • Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted re:Invent, its fourth annual customer and partner conference, with more than 19,000 attendees and 38,000 streaming participants.
    • Accenture and AWS announced the formation of the Accenture AWS Business Group, a team of dedicated professionals from both Accenture and AWS that will help enterprise customers more easily migrate their existing applications and build new applications for the AWS Cloud.
    • AWS introduced Amazon QuickSight, a very fast, cloud-powered business intelligence (BI) service that makes it easy for all employees, regardless of their technical skill, to build visualizations, perform ad-hoc analysis, and quickly get business insights from their data at 1/10th the cost of traditional solutions. QuickSight integrates automatically with AWS data services and uses a new, Super-fast, Parallel, In-memory Calculation Engine (“SPICE”) to perform advanced calculations, render visualizations rapidly, and scale to hundreds of thousands of users.
    • AWS launched new capabilities to make it faster, easier, and more cost-effective to move data from on-premises into the AWS Cloud. AWS Snowball is a petabyte-scale data transport appliance that can securely transfer 50 TB of data per appliance into and out of AWS for as little as 1/5th the cost of high-speed Internet. Amazon Kinesis Firehose is a fully-managed service that captures streaming data from hundreds of thousands of different sources and automatically loads it into Amazon S3 or Amazon Redshift for near real-time data analysis.
    • AWS announced new database tools and services that make it easier for enterprises to bring databases to AWS and break free from the cost and complexity of traditional commercial databases. The AWS Database Migration Service monitors the progress of database migrations, notifying customers of any issues and automatically provisioning a host replacement in the event of a failure. The AWS Schema Conversion Tool ports database schemas and stored procedures from one database platform to another, so customers can move their applications from Oracle and SQL Server to Amazon Aurora, MySQL, MariaDB, and soon PostgreSQL. In the first week after AWS re:Invent, more than 1,000 customers have signed up to use AWS’s new Database Migration Service.
    • In just four months since becoming generally available in July, Amazon Aurora has become the fastest-growing service in the history of AWS.
    • AWS launched AWS IoT, a managed cloud platform that lets billions of connected devices — such as mobile phones, cars, factory floors, aircraft engines, sensor grids, and more — easily and securely interact with cloud applications and other devices. AWS IoT can support trillions of messages, and can process, route, and keep track of those messages to AWS endpoints and to other devices reliably and securely, even when the devices aren’t connected.
    • AWS announced three new services and capabilities to make it easier for enterprises to build and manage secure, compliant applications on the AWS Cloud: Amazon Inspector is a service that automatically assesses how well customers’ applications follow security best practices and provides a detailed report to help fix any vulnerabilities found; AWS Config Rules is a new set of cloud governance capabilities that allow IT Administrators to define guidelines for provisioning and configuring AWS resources and then continuously monitor compliance with those guidelines; and AWS WAF is a web application firewall that protects applications from common web exploits by giving customers control over which traffic to allow or block to their web applications by defining customizable web security rules.

    Financial Guidance

    The following forward-looking statements reflect Amazon.com’s expectations as of October 22, 2015, and are subject to substantial uncertainty. 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 customer spending, world events, the rate of growth of the Internet and online commerce, and the various factors detailed below.

    Fourth Quarter 2015 Guidance

    • Net sales are expected to be between $33.50 billion and $36.75 billion, or to grow between 14% and 25% compared with fourth quarter 2014.
    • Operating income is expected to be between $80 million and $1.28 billion, compared to $591 million in fourth quarter 2014.
    • This guidance includes approximately $620 million for stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets, and it assumes, among other things, that no additional business acquisitions, investments, restructurings, or legal settlements are concluded and that there are no further revisions to stock-based compensation estimates.

    A conference call will be webcast live today at 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET, and will be available for at least three months at www.amazon.com/ir. This call will contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the Company’s financial and operating results.

    These forward-looking statements are inherently difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, in addition to the factors discussed above, the amount that Amazon.com invests in new business opportunities and the timing of those investments, the mix of products sold to customers, the mix of net sales derived from products as compared with services, the extent to which we owe income taxes, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international growth and expansion, the outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment, sortation, delivery, and data center optimization, risks of inventory management, seasonality, the degree to which the Company enters into, maintains, and develops commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, payments risks, and risks of fulfillment throughput and productivity. Other risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to new products, services, and technologies, system interruptions, government regulation and taxation, and fraud. In addition, the current global economic climate amplifies many of these risks. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

    Our investor relations website is www.amazon.com/ir and we encourage investors to use it as a way of easily finding information about us. We promptly make available on this website, free of charge, the reports that we file or furnish with the SEC, corporate governance information (including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics), and select press releases and social media postings, which may contain material information about us, and you may subscribe to be notified of new information posted to this site.

    About Amazon

    Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
    September 30, September 30, September 30,
    2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD $ 10,269 $ 5,057 $ 14,557 $ 8,658 $ 5,258 $ 3,872
    OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
    Net income (loss) 79 (437 ) 114 (455 ) 328 (216 )
    Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities:
    Depreciation of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, and other amortization, including capitalized content costs 1,599 1,247 4,529 3,366 5,908 4,329
    Stock-based compensation 544 377 1,513 1,089 1,921 1,414
    Other operating expense (income), net 34 31 120 93 156 133
    Losses (gains) on sales of marketable securities, net 2 (3 ) 4 (4 ) 4 (3 )
    Other expense (income), net 56 42 166 (16 ) 244 36
    Deferred income taxes (63 ) (270 ) (108 ) (503 ) 76 (613 )
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation (95 ) (212 ) (121 ) (96 ) (199 )
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
    Inventories (1,537 ) (845 ) (844 ) (54 ) (1,983 ) (1,383 )
    Accounts receivable, net and other (588 ) (362 ) (577 ) 66 (1,681 ) (1,173 )
    Accounts payable 2,030 1,724 (1,846 ) (3,294 ) 3,207 1,834
    Accrued expenses and other 143 4 (925 ) (742 ) 525 847
    Additions to unearned revenue 1,779 1,069 4,979 3,055 6,358 3,874
    Amortization of previously unearned revenue (1,373 ) (811 ) (3,805 ) (2,353 ) (5,144 ) (3,175 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 2,610 1,766 3,108 127 9,823 5,705
    INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
    Purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development (1,195 ) (1,378 ) (3,280 ) (3,748 ) (4,424 ) (4,628 )
    Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, and other (105 ) (860 ) (478 ) (926 ) (531 ) (986 )
    Sales and maturities of marketable securities 1,045 1,439 1,890 2,994 2,244 3,509
    Purchases of marketable securities (1,122 ) (147 ) (2,732 ) (920 ) (4,354 ) (1,339 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (1,377 ) (946 ) (4,600 ) (2,600 ) (7,065 ) (3,444 )
    FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 95 212 121 96 199
    Proceeds from long-term debt and other 33 28 260 379 6,241 628
    Repayments of long-term debt and other (181 ) (84 ) (712 ) (331 ) (894 ) (371 )
    Principal repayments of capital lease obligations (656 ) (343 ) (1,738 ) (878 ) (2,144 ) (1,103 )
    Principal repayments of finance lease obligations (21 ) (13 ) (95 ) (68 ) (163 ) (73 )
    Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (730 ) (412 ) (2,073 ) (777 ) 3,136 (720 )
    Foreign-currency effect on cash and cash equivalents (63 ) (207 ) (283 ) (150 ) (443 ) (155 )
    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 440 201 (3,848 ) (3,400 ) 5,451 1,386
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD $ 10,709 $ 5,258 $ 10,709 $ 5,258 $ 10,709 $ 5,258
    SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
    Cash paid for interest on long-term debt $ 7 $ 7 $ 177 $ 56 $ 212 $ 93
    Cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) 80 38 200 148 230 173
    Property and equipment acquired under capital leases 1,047 1,158 3,385 2,794 4,599 3,347
    Property and equipment acquired under build-to-suit leases 125 343 381 707 595 920
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Operations
    (in millions, except per share data)
    (unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
    September 30, September 30,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    Net product sales $ 18,463 $ 16,022 $ 52,650 $ 46,978
    Net service sales 6,895 4,557 18,609 12,681
    Total net sales 25,358 20,579 71,259 59,659
    Operating expenses (1):
    Cost of sales 16,755 14,627 47,310 42,080
    Fulfillment 3,230 2,643 8,865 7,342
    Marketing 1,264 993 3,496 2,806
    Technology and content 3,197 2,423 8,971 6,639
    General and administrative 463 406 1,357 1,110
    Other operating expense (income), net 43 31 136 94
    Total operating expenses 24,952 21,123 70,135 60,071
    Income (loss) from operations 406 (544 ) 1,124 (412 )
    Interest income 13 9 37 31
    Interest expense (116 ) (49 ) (344 ) (136 )
    Other income (expense), net (56 ) (50 ) (187 ) (23 )
    Total non-operating income (expense) (159 ) (90 ) (494 ) (128 )
    Income (loss) before income taxes 247 (634 ) 630 (540 )
    Benefit (provision) for income taxes (161 ) 205 (498 ) 38
    Equity-method investment activity, net of tax (7 ) (8 ) (18 ) 47
    Net income (loss) $ 79 $ (437 ) $ 114 $ (455 )
    Basic earnings per share $ 0.17 $ (0.95 ) $ 0.24 $ (0.99 )
    Diluted earnings per share $ 0.17 $ (0.95 ) $ 0.24 $ (0.99 )
    Weighted average shares used in computation of earnings per share:
    Basic 468 463 467 461
    Diluted 478 463 476 461
    _____________
    (1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:
    Fulfillment $ 122 $ 93 $ 344 $ 278
    Marketing 48 32 133 91
    Technology and content 309 204 861 579
    General and administrative 65 48 175 141
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
    September 30, September 30,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    Net income (loss) $ 79 $ (437 ) $ 114 $ (455 )
    Other comprehensive income (loss):
    Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $4, $(1), $3, and $0 (56 ) (248 ) (170 ) (209 )
    Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities:
    Unrealized gains (losses), net of tax of $3, $2, $(5), and $1 (3 ) (1 ) 3 2
    Reclassification adjustment for losses (gains) included in “Other income (expense), net,” net of tax of $(1), $(1), $(1), and $(1) 1 (2 ) 3 (2 )
    Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities (2 ) (3 ) 6
    Total other comprehensive income (loss) (58 ) (251 ) (164 ) (209 )
    Comprehensive income (loss) $ 21 $ (688 ) $ (50 ) $ (664 )
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Segment Information
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
    September 30, September 30,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    North America
    Net sales $ 15,006 $ 11,699 $ 42,208 $ 33,499
    Segment operating expenses (1) 14,478 11,759 40,461 32,940
    Segment operating income (loss) $ 528 $ (60 ) $ 1,747 $ 559
    International
    Net sales $ 8,267 $ 7,711 $ 23,577 $ 22,936
    Segment operating expenses (1) 8,323 7,885 23,728 23,144
    Segment operating income (loss) $ (56 ) $ (174 ) $ (151 ) $ (208 )
    AWS
    Net sales $ 2,085 $ 1,169 $ 5,474 $ 3,224
    Segment operating expenses (1) 1,564 1,071 4,297 2,804

    Segment operating income (loss)

    $ 521 $ 98 $ 1,177 $ 420
    Consolidated
    Net sales $ 25,358 $ 20,579 $ 71,259 $ 59,659
    Segment operating expenses (1) 24,365 20,715 68,486 58,888
    Segment operating income (loss) 993 (136 ) 2,773 771
    Stock-based compensation (544 ) (377 ) (1,513 ) (1,089 )
    Other operating income (expense), net (43 ) (31 ) (136 ) (94 )
    Income (loss) from operations 406 (544 ) 1,124 (412 )
    Total non-operating income (expense) (159 ) (90 ) (494 ) (128 )
    Benefit (provision) for income taxes (161 ) 205 (498 ) 38
    Equity-method investment activity, net of tax (7 ) (8 ) (18 ) 47
    Net income (loss) $ 79 $ (437 ) $ 114 $ (455 )
    Segment Highlights:
    Y/Y net sales growth:
    North America 28 % 23 % 26 % 24 %
    International 7 14 3 17
    AWS 78 43 70 50
    Consolidated 23 20 19 22
    Net sales mix:
    North America 59 % 57 % 59 % 56 %
    International 33 37 33 39
    AWS 8 6 8 5
    Consolidated 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 %

    ______________________________

    (1) Excludes stock-based compensation and “Other operating expense (income), net,” which are not allocated to segments.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Net Sales Information
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
    September 30, September 30,
    2015 2014 2015 2014
    Net Sales:
    North America
    Media $ 2,963 $ 2,734 $ 8,552 $ 8,022
    Electronics and other general merchandise 11,840 8,793 33,077 24,988
    Other (1) 203 172 579 489
    Total North America $ 15,006 $ 11,699 $ 42,208 $ 33,499
    International
    Media $ 2,320 $ 2,510 $ 6,734 $ 7,532
    Electronics and other general merchandise 5,901 5,160 16,705 15,260
    Other (1) 46 41 138 144
    Total International $ 8,267 $ 7,711 $ 23,577 $ 22,936
    Year-over-year Percentage Growth:
    North America
    Media 8 % 5 % 7 % 10 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 35 31 32 29
    Other 18 20 19 19
    Total North America 28 23 26 24
    International
    Media (8 )% 4 % (11 )% 5 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 14 20 9 24
    Other 10 (18 ) (4 ) (1 )
    Total International 7 14 3 17
    Year-over-year Percentage Growth, excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates:
    North America
    Media 9 % 5 % 7 % 10 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 35 31 33 29
    Other 18 20 18 19
    Total North America 29 23 26 24
    International
    Media 6 % 3 % 4 % 4 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise 32 19 28 22
    Other 26 (19 ) 11 (3 )
    Total International 24 13 20 15

    ______________________________

    (1) Includes sales from non-retail activities, such as certain advertising services and our co-branded credit card agreements.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in millions, except per share data)
    September 30, 2015 December 31, 2014
    (unaudited)

    ASSETS

    Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 10,709 $ 14,557
    Marketable securities 3,719 2,859
    Inventories 8,981 8,299
    Accounts receivable, net and other 5,440 5,612
    Total current assets 28,849 31,327
    Property and equipment, net 20,636 16,967
    Goodwill 3,529 3,319
    Other assets 3,216 2,892
    Total assets $ 56,230 $ 54,505

    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

    Current liabilities:
    Accounts payable $ 14,437 $ 16,459
    Accrued expenses and other 9,157 9,807
    Unearned revenue 3,063 1,823
    Total current liabilities 26,657 28,089
    Long-term debt 8,243 8,265
    Other long-term liabilities 8,900 7,410
    Commitments and contingencies
    Stockholders’ equity:
    Preferred stock, $0.01 par value:
    Authorized shares — 500
    Issued and outstanding shares — none
    Common stock, $0.01 par value:
    Authorized shares — 5,000
    Issued shares — 492 and 488
    Outstanding shares — 469 and 465 5 5
    Treasury stock, at cost (1,837 ) (1,837 )
    Additional paid-in capital 12,874 11,135
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss (675 ) (511 )
    Retained earnings 2,063 1,949
    Total stockholders’ equity 12,430 10,741
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 56,230 $ 54,505
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions, except per share data)
    (unaudited)
    Y/Y %
    Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Change
    Cash Flows and Shares
    Operating cash flow — trailing twelve months (TTM) $ 5,705 $ 6,842 $ 7,845 $ 8,980 $ 9,823 72 %
    Purchases of property and equipment (incl. internal-use software & website development) — TTM $ 4,628 $ 4,893 $ 4,684 $ 4,607 $ 4,424 (4 )%
    Principal repayments of capital lease obligations — TTM $ 1,103 $ 1,285 $ 1,537 $ 1,832 $ 2,144 94 %
    Principal repayments of finance lease obligations — TTM $ 73 $ 135 $ 132 $ 155 $ 163 125 %
    Property and equipment acquired under capital leases — TTM $ 3,347 $ 4,008 $ 4,246 $ 4,710 $ 4,599 37 %
    Free cash flow — TTM (1) $ 1,077 $ 1,949 $ 3,161 $ 4,373 $ 5,399 401 %
    Free cash flow — TTM Y/Y growth (decline) 178 % (4 )% 112 % 321 % 401 % N/A
    Invested capital (2) $ 18,715 $ 21,021 $ 23,090 $ 25,289 $ 27,425 47 %
    Free cash flow less lease principal repayments — TTM (3) $ (99 ) $ 529 $ 1,492 $ 2,386 $ 3,092 N/A
    Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and capital acquired under capital leases — TTM (4) $ (2,343 ) $ (2,194 ) $ (1,217 ) $ (492 ) $ 637 N/A
    Common shares and stock-based awards outstanding 481 483 483 488 489 2 %
    Common shares outstanding 463 465 466 468 469 1 %
    Stock awards outstanding 18 18 17 20 20 13 %
    Stock awards outstanding — % of common shares outstanding 3.9 % 3.8 % 3.8 % 4.4 % 4.3 % N/A
    Results of Operations
    Worldwide (WW) net sales $ 20,579 $ 29,328 $ 22,717 $ 23,185 $ 25,358 23 %
    WW net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 20 % 18 % 22 % 27 % 30 % N/A
    WW net sales — TTM $ 85,246 $ 88,988 $ 91,963 $ 95,808 $ 100,588 18 %
    WW net sales — TTM Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 22 % 20 % 20 % 22 % 24 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) $ (544 ) $ 591 $ 255 $ 464 $ 406 N/A
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X N/A 22 % 90 % N/A N/A N/A
    Operating margin — % of WW net sales (2.6 )% 2.0 % 1.1 % 2.0 % 1.6 % N/A
    Operating income — TTM $ 97 $ 178 $ 287 $ 765 $ 1,715 N/A
    Operating income — TTM Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (94 )% (79 )% (56 )% 35 % N/A N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of WW net sales 0.1 % 0.2 % 0.3 % 0.8 % 1.7 % N/A
    Net income (loss) $ (437 ) $ 214 $ (57 ) $ 92 $ 79 N/A
    Net income (loss) per diluted share $ (0.95 ) $ 0.45 $ (0.12 ) $ 0.19 $ 0.17 N/A
    Net income (loss) — TTM $ (216 ) $ (241 ) $ (405 ) $ (188 ) $ 328 N/A
    Net income (loss) per diluted share — TTM $ (0.47 ) $ (0.52 ) $ (0.88 ) $ (0.41 ) $ 0.69 N/A

    ______________________________

    (1)

    “Free cash flow” is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less cash expenditures for purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development.

    (2) Average Total Assets minus Current Liabilities (excluding current portion of Long-Term Debt) over five quarter ends.
    (3) “Free cash flow less lease principal repayments” is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less (i) purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, (ii) principal repayments of capital lease obligations, and (iii) principal repayments of finance lease obligations. Free cash flow less lease principal repayments approximates the actual payments of cash for our capital and finance leases.
    (4) “Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and capital acquired under capital leases” is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less (i) purchases of property and equipment, including internal-use software and website development, (ii) principal repayments of finance lease obligations, and (iii) property and equipment acquired under capital leases. In this measure, property and equipment acquired under capital leases is reflected as if these assets had been purchased for cash, which is not the case as these assets have been leased.
    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
    Y/Y %
    Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Change
    Segments
    North America Segment:
    Net sales $ 11,699 $ 17,333 $ 13,406 $ 13,796 $ 15,006 28 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 23 % 21 % 24 % 26 % 29 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM $ 50,834 $ 53,432 $ 56,233 $ 59,540 24 %
    Operating income (loss) $ (60 ) $ 733 $ 517 $ 703 $ 528 N/A
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 77 % 111 % N/A N/A
    Operating margin — % of North America net sales (0.5 )% 4.2 % 3.9 % 5.1 % 3.5 % N/A
    Operating income — TTM $ 1,292 $ 1,520 $ 1,893 $ 2,480 N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of North America net sales 2.5 % 2.8 % 3.4 % 4.2 % N/A
    International Segment:
    Net sales $ 7,711 $ 10,575 $ 7,745 $ 7,565 $ 8,267 7 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 13 % 12 % 14 % 22 % 24 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM $ 33,510 $ 33,371 $ 33,598 $ 34,154 3 %
    Net sales — TTM % of WW net sales 38 % 36 % 35 % 34 % N/A
    Operating income (loss) $ (174 ) $ 65 $ (76 ) $ (19 ) $ (56 ) (68 )%
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X N/A N/A N/A N/A
    Operating margin — % of International net sales (2.3 )% 0.6 % (1.0 )% (0.2 )% (0.7 )% N/A
    Operating income (loss) — TTM $ (144 ) $ (188 ) $ (205 ) $ (86 ) N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of International net sales (0.4 )% (0.6 )% (0.6 )% (0.3 )% N/A
    AWS Segment:
    Net sales $ 1,169 $ 1,420 $ 1,566 $ 1,824 $ 2,085 78 %
    Net sales — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 43 % 47 % 49 % 81 % 78 % N/A
    Net sales — TTM 4,644 5,160 $ 5,977 $ 6,894 65 %
    Net sales — TTM % of WW net sales 5 % 6 % 6 % 7 % N/A
    Operating income $ 98 $ 240 $ 265 $ 391 $ 521 432 %
    Operating income — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (13 )% 314 % 353 % N/A
    Operating margin — % of AWS net sales 8.4 % 16.9 % 16.9 % 21.4 % 25.0 % N/A
    Operating income — TTM 660 680 $ 993 $ 1,417 N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of AWS net sales 14.2 % 13.2 % 16.6 % 20.6 % N/A
    Consolidated Segments:
    Operating expenses (5) $ 20,715 $ 28,290 $ 22,011 $ 22,110 $ 24,365 18 %
    Operating expenses — TTM (5) $ 83,599 $ 87,180 $ 89,951 $ 93,126 $ 96,777 16 %
    Operating income (loss) $ (136 ) $ 1,038 $ 706 $ 1,075 $ 993 N/A
    Operating income/loss — Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (151 )% 22 % 45 % 168 % N/A N/A
    Operating margin — % of Consolidated net sales (0.7 )% 3.5 % 3.1 % 4.6 % 3.9 % N/A
    Operating income — TTM $ 1,647 $ 1,808 $ 2,012 $ 2,682 $ 3,811 131 %
    Operating income — TTM Y/Y growth (decline), excluding F/X (12 )% (10 )% (1 )% 34 % 134 % N/A
    Operating margin — TTM % of Consolidated net sales 1.9 % 2.0 % 2.2 % 2.8 % 3.8 % N/A

    ______________________________

    (5) Represents cost of sales, fulfillment, marketing, technology and content, and general and administrative operating expenses, excluding stock-based compensation.

    AMAZON.COM, INC.
    Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
    (in millions, except inventory turnover, accounts payable days and employee data)
    (unaudited)
    Y/Y %
    Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Change
    Supplemental
    Supplemental North America Segment Net Sales:
    Media $ 2,734 $ 3,544 $ 2,969 $ 2,620 $ 2,963 8 %
    Media — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 5 % 1 % 5 % 7 % 9 % N/A
    Media — TTM $ 11,536 $ 11,567 $ 11,711 $ 11,867 $ 12,096 5 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise $ 8,793 $ 13,529 $ 10,250 $ 10,987 $ 11,840 35 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 31 % 27 % 31 % 32 % 35 % N/A
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM $ 35,636 $ 38,517 $ 40,938 $ 43,559 $ 46,606 31 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM % of North America net sales 74 % 76 % 77 % 77 % 78 % N/A
    Other $ 172 $ 260 $ 187 $ 189 $ 203 18 %
    Supplemental International Segment Net Sales:
    Media $ 2,510 $ 3,406 $ 2,320 $ 2,094 $ 2,320 (8 )%
    Media — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 3 % (1 )% 2 % 3 % 6 % N/A
    Media — TTM $ 11,246 $ 10,938 $ 10,615 $ 10,329 $ 10,140 (10 )%
    Electronics and other general merchandise $ 5,160 $ 7,109 $ 5,378 $ 5,425 $ 5,901 14 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — Y/Y growth, excluding F/X 19 % 19 % 21 % 31 % 32 % N/A
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM $ 21,737 $ 22,369 $ 22,559 $ 23,072 $ 23,814 10 %
    Electronics and other general merchandise — TTM % of International net sales 65 % 67 % 68 % 69 % 70 % N/A
    Other $ 41 $ 60 $ 47 $ 46 $ 46 10 %
    Balance Sheet
    Cash and marketable securities — ending $ 6,883 $ 17,416 $ 13,781 $ 14,001 $ 14,428 110 %
    Inventory, net — ending $ 7,316 $ 8,299 $ 7,369 $ 7,470 $ 8,981 23 %
    Inventory turnover, average — TTM 8.9 8.6 8.8 8.9 8.6 (3 )%
    Property and equipment, net — ending $ 15,702 $ 16,967 $ 17,736 $ 19,479 $ 20,636 31 %
    Accounts payable — ending $ 11,811 $ 16,459 $ 11,917 $ 12,391 $ 14,437 22 %
    Accounts payable days — ending 74 73 70 74 79 7 %
    Other
    WW shipping revenue $ 1,048 $ 1,701 $ 1,299 $ 1,399 $ 1,494 43 %
    WW shipping revenue — % of net sales (6) 5.4 % 6.1 % 6.1 % 6.6 % 6.4 % N/A
    WW shipping costs $ 2,020 $ 3,049 $ 2,309 $ 2,340 $ 2,720 35 %
    WW shipping costs — % of net sales (6) 10.4 % 10.9 % 10.9 % 11.0 % 11.7 % N/A
    WW net shipping costs $ 972 $ 1,348 $ 1,010 $ 941 $ 1,226 26 %
    WW net shipping costs — % of net sales (6) 5.0 % 4.8 % 4.8 % 4.4 % 5.3 % N/A
    WW paid units — Y/Y growth 21 % 20 % 20 % 22 % 26 % N/A
    WW seller unit mix — % of WW paid units 42 % 43 % 44 % 45 % 46 % N/A
    Employees (full-time and part-time; excludes contractors & temporary personnel) 149,500 154,100 165,000 183,100 222,400 49 %

    ______________________________

    (6) Includes North America and International segment net sales.

    Amazon.com, Inc.
    Certain Definitions

    Customer Accounts

    • References to customers mean customer accounts, which are unique e-mail addresses, established either when a customer places an order or when a customer orders from other sellers on our websites. Customer accounts exclude certain customers, including customers associated with certain of our acquisitions, Amazon Payments customers, AWS customers, and the customers of select companies with whom we have a technology alliance or marketing and promotional relationship. Customers are considered active when they have placed an order during the preceding twelve-month period.

    Seller Accounts

    • References to sellers means seller accounts, which are established when a seller receives an order from a customer account. Sellers are considered active when they have received an order from a customer during the preceding twelve-month period.

    AWS Customers

    • References to AWS customers mean unique AWS customer accounts, which are unique e-mail addresses that are eligible to use AWS services. This includes AWS accounts in the AWS free tier. Multiple users accessing AWS services via one account are counted as a single account. Customers are considered active when they have had AWS usage activity during the preceding one-month period.

    Units

    Source: Amazon.com, Inc

    Image via Amazon

  • Merch By Amazon Is Amazon’s New On Demand T-Shirt Service For Game Developers

    Merch By Amazon Is Amazon’s New On Demand T-Shirt Service For Game Developers

    Amazon announced a new self-service program aimed at game developers to help them sell t-shirts. It’s called Merch by Amazon and encourages developers to “take their fans to the next level.”

    You design the shirts, and Amazon produces, sells, and ships them. It’s a print-on-demand service so shirts only get made when someone actually wants to buy one. The developer earns a royalty for each one purchased.

    “To get started, simply set-up your Merch by Amazon account, upload the artwork for your t-shirt, and push submit – Amazon takes care of the rest,” says Amazon’s Mike Hines. “In a matter of hours, your custom t-shirt is available for sale worldwide on Amazon.com. Once you’ve created your custom t-shirts, you can also promote them in-game on the Android, Fire OS, or iOS versions of your game via Amazon Mobile Ads. Merch by Amazon allows you to delight your players and convert them into advocates for your game.”

    “With Merch by Amazon, you can give your players a fun new way to interact with your brand and take your fans to the next level,” says Hines. “You can start in the morning, and have t-shirts with your artwork available for sale on an Amazon.com product page before the end of the day. To get started, follow the 4 steps outlined below.

    The designs require a 15x18in, 300DPI piece of artwork and a bank account to receive direct deposits for sales.

    Game developers can get started here.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Flex Pays You to Deliver Packages

    Amazon Flex Pays You to Deliver Packages

    If you’re sick of carting people around as an Uber driver, Amazon is now offering to pay you to deliver packages.

    Amazon Flex, a mysterious service that was first spotted in the Seattle area last month, is now going live. Amazon says it’s currently available in Seattle, and will soon expand to Manhattan, Baltimore, Miami, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Portland.

    So, what is Flex? It’s the Uber for Amazon. Or the Amazon for Uber. Or something like that. Amazon says you can make $18 to $25 an hour delivering packages.

    “Be you own boss, deliver when you want, as much as you want,” says Amazon.

    If you sign up to be a Flex driver, you’ll need to pass a background check. You’ll also need to own an Android device, as that’s where the Flex delivery software will be housed. You also need to be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver’s license, of course.

    “You can choose any available 2, 4, and 8 hour blocks of time to work the same day, or set availability for up to 12 hours per day for the future. You can work as much or as little as you want,” says Amazon. “You can pick up deliveries at a location near you. You’ll receive items to deliver in a local radius, based on length of the delivery block you signed up for.”

    For now, Flex drivers will only be delivering Amazon Prime Now packages – the company’s hour-delivery service. Amazon says that “in the future, you may deliver other types of Amazon packages as well.”

    This is Amazon’s first big step into this fast-growing element of the economy. The company must know that there’s a good chance it will face some of the same issues companies like UBer face, as questions of whether drivers are employees or contractors will inevitably arise.

    And with this new service, don’t be shocked when your Uber driver asks you to get in the backseat. His front seat might be filled with Amazon packages.

  • Amazon Web Services Adds New APIs For Testing Access Control Policies

    Amazon Web Services announced two new APIs for AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) that lets you automate validation and auditing of permissions for IAM users, groups, and roles. They let you call the IAM policy simulator with the AWS CLI or any AWS SDK.

    The new iam:SimulatePrincipalPolicy API lets you programmatically test existing IAM policies to verify that policies work properly and identify specific statements in a policy that grant or deny access to specific resources or actions.

    Amazon explains:

    Simulate the set of IAM policies attached to an IAM entity against a list of API actions and AWS resources to determine the policies’ effective permissions. The entity can be an IAM user, group, or role. If you specify a user, then the simulation also includes all of the policies attached to groups that the user is a member of.

    You can optionally include a list of one or more additional policies specified as strings to include in the simulation. If you want to simulate only policies specified as strings, use SimulateCustomPolicy instead.

    The simulation does not perform the API actions, it only checks the authorization to determine if the simulated policies allow or deny the actions.

    The iam:SimulateCustomPolicy API will let you test the effects of new and/or updated policies that aren’t attached to users, groups, or roles.

    Brigid Johnson from Amazon Web Services walks you through utilizing the APIs in a blog post here. You can find documentation here and further discussion in a forum here.

    Image via Amazon

  • Amazon Beats Netflix to Offline Playback on iOS and Android Devices

    Amazon Beats Netflix to Offline Playback on iOS and Android Devices

    When battling a rival streaming service, snagging and producing content isn’t the only way to differentiate yourself – you can also improve access to said content.

    And that’s what Amazon just did for Prime Video. The company is making a portion of its content available for offline playback – meaning you can download certain movies and TV shows in order to watch them without an internet connection.

    This feature has been available on Fire devices for some time, but today Amazon is giving it to iOS and Android users.

    “There’s no doubt that the way people watch entertainment is changing—anytime, anywhere viewing is important and we are excited to provide our Prime members with offline viewing capabilities on iOS and Android platforms starting today,” stated Michael Paull, Vice President of Digital Video at Amazon. “We are proud to be the first and only online subscription streaming service that enables offline viewing—on vacation, in a car, at the beach, on a plane, wherever our Prime members want to watch they can, regardless of internet connection.”

    Amazon makes a point to mention that Netflix does not offer this – and they’re absolutely correct. Amazon’s streaming service has certainly bested Netflix with this feature.

    Of course, not everything is available for offline playback. Amazon originals like Bosch, Transparent, and Mozart in the Jungle are – as you’d expect – as are popular series like Hannibal, Downton Abbey, 24, Justified, and Orphan Black.

    You’ll need to download the updated Amazon Video app for iOS or Android, which now includes the Prime Video downloads.

    I’m taking a trip soon, and it looks like I’ll be watching Orphan Black on the plane. Can’t say the same for Narcos.

  • Have We Seen The Last Of Amazon’s Fire Phone?

    Have We Seen The Last Of Amazon’s Fire Phone?

    I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what a colossal failure Amazon’s Fire Phone was. Despite negative reviews and an overwhelming lack of consumer interest in the device, it had seemed as though Amazon would work to improve on the device with future models, but now it’s not looking so likely.

    After years of anticipation, Amazon finally unveiled its version of the modern smartphone last year. They had a big Apple-esque launch event and showed off some interesting features that other phones didn’t have. Unfortunately, they weren’t features that anybody particularly wanted and the device simply fell short compared to offerings from more established smartphone-makers.

    The reviews began to pour in, and the device was almost universally panned, though some of the more positive reviews were optimistic that Amazon could perhaps make major improvements through updates and future models.

    But the lack of interest really became clear when Amazon dropped the price of the device to 99 cents, and still nobody bought it.

    Last fall, an Amazon exec acknowledged the phone’s failure, but indicated future models would be on the way.

    Now, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon has laid off dozens of engineers from the unit that developed the phone, and that future phone development has been shelved. It says:

    At one point, the company planned a stripped-down Fire phone, but Amazon has stretched out its timeline for smartphone development indefinitely, people familiar with the matter said.
     
    Amazon has also halted or scaled back other development projects, according to people familiar with the situation, including a smart stylus internally called Nitro, which translates a users’ scribblings into digital shopping lists; a device dubbed Shimmer for projecting images on walls and other surfaces; and a tablet code-named Project Cairo, with a 14-inch screen.

    The Journal has more on where Amazon is focusing its hardware efforts, which include home devices and tablets.

    None of this necessarily means that we’ll never see Amazon take another shot at a smartphone again, but from the sound of it, it it’s not something we’ll be seeing in the foreseeable future.

    Image via Amazon (YouTube)

  • Amazon Prime Instant Video Hits Japan Next Month

    Amazon Prime Instant Video Hits Japan Next Month

    Not to be outdone, Amazon is also expanding its streaming video services to Japan.

    Netflix recently confirmed that it will officially launch in Japan – its first Asian country – on September 2nd. Now, Amazon has announced that it will also launch its Prime Instant Video offering in Japan in September.

    This will be only the fourth country in which Amazon offers free Prime Video streaming to Prime subscribers (the US, UK, and Germany).

    “As we’ve shown with the launch of Prime Video in the U.S. and around the world, we are investing significantly to bring high-quality, local and popular programming to Prime members, and our customers in Japan should expect the same investment,” Jasper Cheung, president of Amazon Japan, said in a statement. “We’ve been offering videos and DVDs in Japan for 15 years — we know the entertainment customers want — and we plan to deliver it with Prime Video, all at no additional cost.”

    Amazon has offered Prime services in Japan for a decade, but this is the first time it’s adding Prime Instant Video to the package.

    “We are passionate about making distinct, exclusive entertainment that will become Prime member’s next favorite TV show or movie, and we know Prime members in Japan will love what we introduce just for them,” said Amazon Studios VP Roy Price.

  • Amazon Launches Underground, a New App with “Actually Free” Apps

    Amazon Launches Underground, a New App with “Actually Free” Apps

    Amazon has just announced a new Android app store called Amazon Underground, and the company promises “over ten thousand dollars in apps, games, and in-app items that are actually free.”

    It looks like Amazon is picking up the tab on some freemium apps and offering them to people for free.

    “Many apps and games that are marked as free turn out not to be completely free,” says Amazon. “They use in-app payments to charge you for special items or to unlock features or levels. IN Underground, you will find 100% free versions of popular premium titles.”

    Amazon says it’s already populated with apps like OfficeSuite Professional 8, PhotoSuite4, Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions, Looney Tunes Dash, and Angry Birds Slingshot Stella.

    Amazon says this is made possible by a new type of agreement with developers.

    “We’re paying them a certain amount on a per-minute played basis in exchange for them waiving their normal in-app fees. To be clear, we’re the ones picking up those per minute charges so for you it’s simply free.”

    “Normally, you’d go to google Play to download an Android app … but Google’s rules don’t allow an app that offers apps or games to be included in Google play,” says Amazon.

    So if you want to download Amazon Underground, you’ll need to do it directly from the source.