Amazon’s gift from above

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire behind online shopping behemoth Amazon.com, is certainly a man to be taken seriously. So when he says his company may soon deliver its products within half an hour of purchase via drone aircraft, it may not be just talk.

Mr Bezos, who built a modest bookstore into the world’s premier online shopping site, realises that one of the attractions of the internet is instant gratification. E-books, music and movies can be beamed directly to your home, but physical products take a little longer.

Amazon has already struck a deal with the US Postal Service for Sunday services to ensure quicker delivery. Now, Mr Bezos says, the next step is a small "octocopter" aircraft that can deliver products of up to 2 kilograms within a 16-kilometre radius of an Amazon warehouse.

With approval from aviation authorities, the service could begin in the US within five years, Mr Bezos told the 60 Minutes television programme.

Such a service would certainly find a market in the UAE, where there is no door-to-door postal service but there will soon be a comprehensive address system allowing the identification of premises by GPS.

So, one day, you may be able to pluck the latest bestseller from the sky. But if it’s a hardback, you might need a crash helmet.

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

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