Amazon launches Cloud Reader‎

Amazon Creates New Book App

In the latest salvo in the battle between Amazon and Apple over the contentious pricing policies of Apple on app purchases for its devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, Amazon launched the “Kindle Cloud Reader,” a web-based app that uses HTML5, the latest specification of the language that is the backbone of the internet, to circumvent Apple’s stranglehold on the app market.

Apple raised the ire of many developers recently when it instituted a new policy of demanding a 30 percent share of all revenue raised from apps purchased for Apple products. In addition, developers could not allow for alternative means of payment in order to avoid the new surcharge; all purchases were required to go through the app itself.

Unlike traditional apps, which are integrated into a mobile device, the “Kindle Cloud Reader” can be accessed though a web browser. However, it will still have the look and feel of a more traditional app.

The new app will allow users to purchase any of Amazon’s digital products through the internet. Initially, it will only be available for users with the Safari web browser, Apple’s custom product, and the Google Chrome browser. Additional browsers will be supported in the future.