Maven: Amazed by Amazon

More than 4 million? Well, how much more? And how does the growth rate (the only thing that matters besides ultimate profits) on Amazon's busiest day this year compare with last year's? Wait a minute! Last year, the company was specific about how many orders it had on its busiest day, 3.6 million. Why not this year? Is 4 million really a big deal if it was just over 4 million and is only up from 3.6 million? Is there a magical quality to the 4 million number? Did the company come even close to that number in the remaining, oh, 30 days of the month?

And here is something kind of remarkable: Amazon's busiest day this year was Dec. 11. Last year it was Dec. 12. But neither of those days is the so-called Cyber Monday, the fake construct the business media have put so much faith in, i.e., the first Monday after Thanksgiving when people purportedly go back into work and place orders for holiday gifts online. What gives?

Not the Associated Press, at least in the arena of answers. Instead, AP recited a few of the choice little facts Amazon often places so cleverly in its press release, little details that give color to an article and that journalists can't resist. The problem is that such details distract journalists, and while some of these little facts can be fun, few point to the only two things that matter: growth rates and profitability.