Amazon's new delivery drones will reach you in 30 minutes

Seemingly not content with eviscerating the book shop industry, Amazon's next professional victim looks to be the humble delivery driver - replaced by a 55mph, vertical take-off drone. 

The online retailer has unveiled its latest air delivery concept: Prime Air.

Flying packages of up to 25kg at an altitude of 120 metres within a range of 25 kilometres, you can expect a depot-to-garden delivery time of just 30 minutes - if the Prime Air drone service is available in your area.

While the demonstration video above - narrated by Amazon's man-of-the-moment Jeremy Clarkson - might appear to promise a ready-to-roll service, you're going to have a wait a little longer before your next purchase arrives from the skies. Amazon still has to clear a lot of legal logistics before the Prime Air service is even approved, and even then it might only be safe to use in rural areas. 

Still, it's only a matter of time before younger generations replace that "waiting at the letter box" tradition for one that watches the skies.