- This is a huge win for Amazon. There are many more iPhone and iPod Touch users than there are Kindle users. iPhone/Touch users can now consume purchased Kindle books on their devices, which will generate more e-book sales for Amazon. And, Kindle for iPhone may prove to be a gateway drug that leads to more Kindle device purchases. Again, more money for Amazon.
- Kindle for iPhone actually does a few things a Kindle device can’t. You can see images in color. You can download e-books via Wi-Fi. And, you can download e-books via the iPhone’s mobile phone network. Nice.
- Whispersync page location syncing is kinda cool.
- I haven’t personally used Stanza on iPhone/Touch, but Kindle for iPhone can’t be good news for it. Access to 50,000 free books (generally old, copyright-expired works) and 50,000 commercial books on Stanza is appealing. Access to almost 250,000 commercial books on Kindle for iPhone may be more appealing for most people. And, many people are already familiar with buying things on Amazon.
- Until today, I have thought of “Kindle” as being the physical device that Amazon sells to read e-books. Now, it appears that “Kindle” is really an e-book service. And, apparently we use things like the Kindle e-book reader, Kindle for iPhone, and presumably upcoming clients for other devices to consume books from the Kindle service.
- I like Apple’s method of having an iTunes Store service and then having discretely named devices/applications (iPhone, iPod, iTunes, Apple TV) for accessing that service. It’s easier to talk about, write about, and get your head around.
- Areas for improvement on Kindle for iPhone:
- Support landscape view.
- Support e-book purchases via the iPhone/Touch. I would think this would be fairly easy to add since Amazon already has an iPhone/Touch application for buying physical items from Amazon.com.
- Support bookmark deletion.
- I have seen people saying that Kindle for iPhone should support magazine and newspaper subscriptions. I think it should too. But, I suspect you would have to get the publication on the Kindle or on the iPhone/Touch, but not on both. I think this is a contractual issue with the content providers. I noticed that when I moved from Kindle 1 to Kindle 2, I had to also move my Newsweek and Atlantic Monthly subscriptions from one device to the other. I couldn’t have the subscription accessible on both. So, if a publication subscription can’t be on two Kindles, I doubt it can be on a Kindle and an iPhone. (I think one-off purchases of specific issues may be treated differently and syncable across Kindles.)
- I have seen people saying Kindle for iPhone should support emailed documents. I think it should too. But, keep in mind that emailed documents even on Kindles are sent to a specific device and aren’t synced across devices. So, again, I suspect you could get a single emailed document on the Kindle or on the iPhone/Touch, but not on both.
- When it comes to improving Kindle for iPhone, Amazon faces interesting choices. Improving this free application can lead to increased e-book sales and (if supported is added) increased newspaper, magazine, and emailed document sales. But, making Kindle for iPhone better could also keep a certain segment of users from buying a Kindle device from Amazon. I’ll be fascinated to see how the application evolves.
Overall, a very nicely done application and a great move by Amazon, which remains my second favorite company.
