The chief executive officer of eBay has dismissed Amazon's drone delivery plan as an irrelevant 'fantasy'.
The GPS-guided drones - revealed on CBS news programme 60 Minutes last week - was hailed as a possible game-changing breakthrough by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos that would deliver packages direct to customers in half an hour in key cities.
But John Donahoe told Bloomberg, who asked if he was working on similar plans: 'We're not really focusing on long-term, fantasies. We're working on things that will change consumers experiences today.'
'Bold innovation is important but our focus on our bold innovation is around commerce. So the notion of making a storefront window touchscreen, I'd call that a bold innovation. By having those moonshots focused in our area of competence, they can grow to be important businesses.'
Donahoe said mobile is the present battleground with sales at eBay expected to exceed $20 billion by the end of this year.
Bezos explained last week how he anticipated the drones plan to be a reality within five years. He will need to overcome air traffic regulations, potential cost implications and any technology glitches before the launch.
Choice, including speed of delivery, has become a battleground for web retailers such as Amazon. Amazon operates a national two-day delivery option through its Prime service and eBay has a one-hour option 'eBay Now'.
Amazon will need to wait for the Federal Aviation Administration to set rules for the devices. Congress has asked the FAA to create rules allowing drone-guided civilian craft by 2015 but the FAA has said it may take longer to prepare for full integration.
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