Amazon Expands In-App Purchase API to Mac, PC, and Web Apps

Amazon is continuing its full-frontal attack on Apple's iTunes and App Store platforms, announcing today that it is expanding its In-App Purchase program to include virtual goods and currencies on Mac, PC and Web-based games. Amazon has previously offered IAP for Android and Kindle Fire developers, including the ability to order physical goods from within apps.

amazon appstore angry birds

Further expanding its multi-platform, end-to-end offering for game developers, Amazon today announced a new In-App Purchasing service that enables developers to let customers use their Amazon accounts to purchase virtual goods and currencies from within Mac, PC and Web-based games. With today’s announcement, Amazon now provides In-App Purchasing services for Mac, PC and Web, Android and Kindle Fire developers, enabling them to offer Amazon’s millions of customers a convenient, trusted and secure buying experience.

This isn't the only development in Amazon's digital store efforts. Recently, Amazon optimized its MP3 music store so mobile iOS devices could purchase music directly on the device via Safari.

Apple and Amazon have been dueling in court over the trademark for the "app store" term, with the most recent development sending Apple and Amazon into court-ordered settlement talks.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

KnightWRX Avatar
160 months ago
So wait, how is Amazon offering a cross-platform payment processing and storage of virtual files a "direct assault on Apple" ?

Seems to me it's just Amazon expanding its offering to developers in order to grab more market share and thus generate more revenues, doesn't seem to be targetting anyone in particular.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rodimus Prime Avatar
160 months ago
And Windows isn't generic for the Windows that open up on the Desktop? Further, "App" could just as easily be viewed as an abbreviation for Apple. Apple itself is a generic term, which is protected by Trademark.

but windows (for windows) on a desktop is not trademark.

Now Windows for an operating system is trademarkable.

For example
OSX is an operating system that uses windows as part of its GUI.
Windows is an operating system that uses windows as part of its GUI.

Windows is not generic for the name of an OS.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yelmurc Avatar
160 months ago
This is actually a smart move by amazon. Giving developers another avenue for discovery of their apps and giving customers and one stop shopping experience. There main issue is to get high quality developers to use it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Terrin Avatar
160 months ago
App is an abbrevation for applications, and is generic = not possible to trademark

App store is a store for selling apps, and is descriptive = not possible to trademark


And Windows isn't generic for the Windows that open up on the Desktop? Further, "App" could just as easily be viewed as an abbreviation for Apple. Apple itself is a generic term, which is protected by Trademark.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marcus-k Avatar
160 months ago
If Amazon can patent "1-Click" then why can't Apple patent "App Store"? If "App Store" is nullified, then "1-Click" should be also... not to mention "Windows".

App is an abbrevation for applications, and is generic = not possible to trademark

App store is a store for selling apps, and is descriptive = not possible to trademark
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mytdave Avatar
160 months ago
hypocrisy

If Amazon can patent "1-Click" then why can't Apple patent "App Store"? If "App Store" is nullified, then "1-Click" should be also... not to mention "Windows".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)