Kindle isn't just for Kindle readers anymore. Amazon has already released a Kindle app for the iPhone, and at the Windows  7 launch event Thursday, the online retailer announced that Kindle software for Windows 7 (as well as Vista and XP) will be released in the next month -- and a version for Mac will soon follow.
"Customers have told us that they want access to a wider variety of content and an increasingly diverse set of form factors," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Platform Strategy. "With the announcement of Kindle for PC, Amazon is making its massive selection of Kindle books available on the world's most widely used platform."
Amazon promoted the development as both a companion for current Kindle readers and a gateway for new customers. With the ability to sell e-books without having to sell a $259 reading device, Amazon can massively increase market penetration of the Kindle format.
Tactile Book-Reading Experience
"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for folks who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, vice president for Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to read the most popular books of today even if they don't yet have a Kindle."
This announcement is not just about spreading the Kindle love to major platforms, but also about taking advantage of new features in Windows 7, notably Windows Touch technology. As with the iPhone, users reading books on Windows 7 will be able to zoom in and out by spreading or pinching their fingers, and turn pages with a simple finger swipe.
The new software supports a range of features available to Kindle and Kindle DX users, including the ability to view notes and highlights marked on Amazon's hardware devices.
Slew of E-Book Readers
The announcement follows Tuesday's news that Barnes & Noble will release its own branded e-reader, called the Nook. And even more e-readers have recently cropped up, including Alex, a reader based on Google's Android mobile operating system ; Plastic Logic's Que; and iRex, which is backed by Best Buy and Verizon.
Clearly, e-books have arrived. Amazon argues that's a good thing for the publishing industry, since people with Kindles buy 3.1 times as many books as they did before owning the device, according to the New York Times. (continued...)
|
