Amazon Kindle content coming to the iconic iPhone?
by Stevie Smith - Feb 9 2009, 13:00
Not yet officially confirmed by Amazon, but THIS is the Kindle 2. Image: Amazon.
With Amazon due to hold a press conference later today (Monday, Feb 09) in New York, during which it is expected to confirm the upcoming arrival of a second-generation Kindle electronic book reader, speculation is mounting with regard to the unveiling of a Kindle application for Apple’s iPhone.
The first ‘Kindle on iPhone’ whispers began circulating late last week after Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener revealed to the New York Times that the online retail titan is currently in the process of developing a way to bring Kindle content to “a range of mobile phones.”
With generous enough screen space, enhanced portability, and an established install base of millions, Apple’s trend-setting iPhone is but one of several popular smartphone devices that could potentially run Amazon's e-book technology and vastly increase the appeal and exposure of portable book-reading technology in general.
Pointing out the added convenience of gaining Kindle access on a mobile phone device without having to commit to carrying the primary hardware platform, tech analyst Michael Gartenberg described the prospect of Kindle e-books on platforms such as the iPhone as “a smart move on Amazon’s part.”
“They absolutely should look at devices like the iPhone and G1 as complimentary to the stuff they’re doing with the dedicated Kindle,” said Gartenberg in a note to Apple watchers at MacWorld.
Beyond the obvious portability advantages of having e-books on compatible mobile phones, Gartenberg also added a further sprinkle of incentive into the mix by pointing to the Kindle platform’s somewhat hefty price of $359 USD, which is likely pushing many traditional book readers away from making the leap to digital e-ink.
It’s worth noting that iPhone users already have a degree of familiarity with electronic books thanks to the availability of similar App Store applications such as Classics, eReader and Stanza.
However, while providing something of a taster for on-the-go bookworms, these current choices would be dwarfed in comparison to the 230,000 titles set to be available through Kindle if and when Amazon introduces e-book content to Apple’s capable smartphone.
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