Even though it’s pretty much an open secret that Amazon will release the Kindle 2 early next year, plenty of people are still looking to buy the first version of the device this Christmas season.

As Mr. Schonfeld’s little graph shows, searches for Kindle (and for that matter, the Sony Reader) peaked right before the shopping season. In fact, the thing is pretty much sold out.

One thing to note from the New York Times’ story on the subject is that the people buying the Kindle aren’t necessarily “gadget people.” It seems Oprah, who talked up the device in October, has helped increase its popularity among the 55 to 64-year-old demographic.

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