Amazon’s Kindle application was recently at risk of being removed from the App Store because it contained a link to purchase content outside of Apple’s ecosystem — something Apple no longer allows developers to do under its latest App Store terms. In order to secure its place in the App Store, Amazon issued a last-minute update to its app to remove the link, but in a move that subtly tells Apple where to stick its new rules, Amazon has launched a web-based Kindle reader with support for the iPad. And it’s awesome!
The new app, called Kindle Cloud Reader, works with Chrome and Safari web browsers — including mobile Safari on the iPad — to give Kindle users access to their eBooks without the need for a native application. But why would you want to use a web app over Amazon’s native application? Well, for one, it boasts a Kindle store.
Unlike the native iOS app, which no longer offers any method of purchasing new eBooks from Amazon’s Kindle Store, the web app boasts an “integrated Kindle Store for tablets,” with access to Amazon’s complete collection of titles.
The web app also supports local storage and allows you to store content for reading offline — what more could you ask for?
You can access the web app now by visiting read.amazon.com in a supported browser.
Have you tried the Kindle Cloud Reader yet, and will you be dropping the native Kindle app in favor of Amazon’s new web app?
[via MacRumors]
