Amazon Launches iPhone-Optimized Kindle Store

Amazon today announced the launch of an iPhone-optimized Kindle Store accessible via the iPhone's Safari browser. The store is accessible through the "Get Books" button on the free Kindle for iPhone application made available in early March.

Amazon.com, Inc. today launched a Kindle Store optimized for the Safari Web browser on iPhone. Now when users of the Kindle for iPhone app click on "Get Books," the new Kindle Store tailored for the size and shape of the iPhone and iPod touch screens automatically opens in Safari. This optimized Kindle store offers iPhone and iPod touch app users quick and easy access to the Kindle Store's 280,000 books, including 106 of 112 New York Times Best Sellers and most New Releases that are available for $9.99 or less.

In the press release, Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon Kindle, noted that the ability to easily purchase Kindle content from the iPhone had been a frequent request from users.

"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."

iLounge points out that while Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 due this summer will be introducing "in-app purchasing" that would allow Amazon to offer eBook sales from within the Kindle for iPhone application, such sales would be subject to Apple taking its traditional 30% cut of the proceeds.

Amazon has been aggressively expanding its Kindle offerings in recent months, introducing the upgraded Kindle 2 in February, followed by Kindle for iPhone in March and the large-screen Kindle DX announced just last week.