Amazon has released a new web-based, touch-capable ebook reader allowing its Kindle customers to buy and access books on any device.
The new Kindle Cloud Reader is compatible with Mac and iPad versions of the Safari browser and Google’s Chrome.
The release follows Amazon’s removal of the store link in its iPad app following a change of rules by Apple.
The new reader ‘app’ includes an embedded store allowing users to purchase books without leaving the ‘web app’.
The removal of the link within the iPad and iPhone app has created anger and confusion on the part of users.
“We are excited to take this leap forward in our ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere’ mission and help customers access their library instantly from anywhere,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle.
“We have written the application from the ground up in HTML5, so that customers can also access their content offline directly from their browser. The flexibility of HTML5 allows us to build one application that automatically adapts to the platform you’re using – from Chrome to iOS. To make it easy and seamless to discover new books, we’ve added an integrated, touch optimized store directly into Cloud Reader, allowing customers one click access to a vast selection of books.”