Ahead of the release of iPhone OS 3.0, Amazon has launched a new version of its Kindle Store optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch. Accessible from the “Get Books” button in Amazon’s Kindle for iPhone app, the new site opens pages in the Safari browser, giving users the ability to make one-click purchases of the Kindle Store’s 280,000 books without using an in-application downloading mechanism.
Notably, Apple has announced “In-App Purchasing” as an iPhone OS 3.0 developer tool for adding content to apps, with Apple taking a 30% cut of any sales handled in this matter; the use of Safari appears to be a workaround to enable easy purchasing without Apple revenue sharing. Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon Kindle operations, said, “The most common feedback we heard from customers was that they wanted a better experience for purchasing new Kindle books from their iPhones.
We’ve been working hard to respond to that feedback with a new web site optimized for Safari on iPhone and we’re excited to do that today.” Amazon’s Kindle for iPhone application is available now as a free download from the App Store.
.
