Amazon Prime Air

[rickastley]

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is testing unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers, according to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos. The drones, called Octocopters, could deliver packages weighing up to 2.3kg to customers within 30 minutes of them placing the order, he said. However, he added that it could take up to five years for the service to start. The US Federal Aviation Administration is yet to approve the use of unmanned drones for civilian purposes. "I know this looks like science fiction, but it's not," Mr Bezos told CBS television's 60 Minutes programme. "We can do half-hour delivery... and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3kg), which covers 86% of the items that we deliver." The service will be called Prime Air and comes as Amazon is looking to improve its efficiency to boost growth. Amazon also posted a video on its website showing a drone picking up a package from one of its warehouses and delivering it to the doorstep of a customer's house.

However, it still has to wait for permission from US regulators. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the use of drones for police and government agencies, issuing about 1,400 permits over the past several years. Civilian air space is expected to be opened up to all kinds of drones in the US by 2015 and in Europe by 2016. Amazon said "from a technology point of view, we'll be ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place". The FAA was "actively working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles", the company said, adding that it hoped the green light would be given as early as 2015. "One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today."

No chance this takes off... (no pun intended)

[BeerAndPoker]

They aren't the first to test this. I know Domino's had this idea to deliver pizzas a while back and I believe a few others did before them.

[Dan Druff]

[DRK Star]

[Rollo Tomasi]

slam dunk drug lords/dealers already use drones in some capacity they don't care about no FAA

[Rollo Tomasi]

They aren't the first to test this. I know Domino's had this idea to deliver pizzas a while back and I believe a few others did before them.

no tip for you


cheap jew Q for Druff: do you tip the pizza delivery guy and
if so how much or what %
also is it true some people taste the pizza 1st before they decide how much to tip

[Dan Druff]

They aren't the first to test this. I know Domino's had this idea to deliver pizzas a while back and I believe a few others did before them.

no tip for you


cheap jew Q for Druff: do you tip the pizza delivery guy and
if so how much or what %
also is it true some people taste the pizza 1st before they decide how much to tip

I actually hate ordering pizza. There are a few reasons for this:

1) I hate delivery of any food because it's a disaster when they screw something up. You're basically fucked at that point. With pizza it's not as bad (as it's relatively simple), but there are still plenty of potential screw-ups. What if it's cold? Burned? Wrong toppings? There's really nothing you can do, unless you want to wait another 45 minutes and hope the delivery guy (or pizza maker) doesn't spit in it.

2) You sometimes get higher prices for the same food. Pizza places often have great carryout specials, such as $7.99 for a pizza that would be $13 for delivery. Then you tip a few bucks (and maybe also pay a delivery charge) and the whole thing ends up double the price.

3) It's slower. I hate not knowing when it will show up. I like ordering, driving out there, picking it up, and driving home. Not only is this faster, but I know exactly when I'll be eating.


The most important factor is #1. The other two I could live with.

I can't remember the last time I ordered a pizza for delivery.

[Rollo Tomasi]

.

[DirtyB]

No chance this takes off... (no pun intended)

Why not? I don't see any reason why the FAA wouldn't approve it, as long as they stay away from airports. A drone flying a couple hundred feet up isn't going to interfere with regular air traffic.

http://qz.com/152788/australia-and-c...al-drone-race/

[DRK Star]

FUCK YOU, AMAZON!

[BeerAndPoker]

I rather pickup pizza as well. Just to echo a lot of what Druff said...

Pros to pickup:

- It's quicker. If you order during peak hours they might tell you 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for delivery because others are in front of you and many places only have like one driver.

- Warmer! Sometimes either the driver has your pizza in their little warmer bag for a few deliveries on the way before getting it to you or it sits on a shelf at the pizza place until the delivery guy gets back to bring it out to you.

- You can check it before you leave if you wish to make sure your order is correct.

- Better carry out specials = better bang for your buck.

- Save a few bucks on a delivery fee and tip. If your only a mile or two away why waste your money on this shit if you don't have to?

Pros to Delivery:

- Convenience for lazy people. I get it people go into lazy mode and on occasion I do too but if I'm able to pick it up then why not?

Besides not having to leave the house just picking it up makes so much sense especially for me who likes it as freshly done as possible when I first get the pizza.

Just too many reasons to go get it imo.

[lewfather]

During the winter months I will gladly pay for delivered pizza. You don't have to deal with the weather which is often unbearable. I mean the tides really shift if I have to go outside and warm my car up and shovel snow/chip ice/knock the snow off my car just to get a fucking pizza.

[BeerAndPoker]

During the winter months I will gladly pay for delivered pizza. You don't have to deal with the weather which is often unbearable. I mean the tides really shift if I have to go outside and warm my car up and shovel snow/chip ice/knock the snow off my car just to get a fucking pizza.

Weather for sure makes pizza delivery worth it instead of having to deal with all that shit but on the west coast where it's practically never snowing then why not just pick it up?

[WillieMcFML]

No chance this takes off... (no pun intended)

Why not? I don't see any reason why the FAA wouldn't approve it, as long as they stay away from airports. A drone flying a couple hundred feet up isn't going to interfere with regular air traffic.

http://qz.com/152788/australia-and-c...al-drone-race/

biggest challenge will be making revenue > operating costs + liability

and it will be way too easy to interfere with drones that deliver locally so liability would be HUGE

any kid in the ghetto could throw rocks at a drone causing it to spiral out of control and possibly injure someone or damage property

they'll be cutting checks left and right

rotors are just too easy to compromise, need +ev mini jet engines before it makes sense but you don't have to believe me because i'm hungry and tired and my eyes are red, probably

[rum dick]

[rum dick]

Also, I am really looking forward to Amazon Prime Air skeet shooting.

[SrslySirius]

http://blog.hubspot.com/uattr/real-p...elivery-drones

For one thing, today is Cyber Monday, the day when everyone goes shopping online. Amazon somehow got CBS and 60 Minutes to create a 14-minute free ad spot for Amazon on the eve of this huge shopping day.

Did Amazon control the timing of the story and insist that the piece must run on the night before Cyber Monday? Was this a condition of the deal in exchange for getting access to Bezos? I think you'd be naive to believe otherwise, but who knows? Maybe it was just a lucky coincidence.

But there's another factor at work here. Bezos and Amazon are still reeling from the recent publication of a not entirely flattering book by Businessweek reporter Brad Stone. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon portrays Bezos as a ruthless tyrant and a "penny-pinching ballbuster," as Gawker put it.