For a long time there has been nothing that could make me happier than seeing a Kindle App Store – now it’s finally been announced.
70% royalties for indie authors (and Publishers who follow the rules) yesterday and Kindle Apps today – never seen a better stretch of days. Wish there were an Apple iSlate release imminent every month 
.
Kindle App Store - All the details on how it’ll work
Here are the Kindle App details Amazon have announced -
- 3 categories of Apps – free, one-time paid, and monthly subscription.
- Developers (except for free apps below a threshold) shoulder the delivery costs.
- Kindle Development Kit Beta will start next month – a limited set of beta testers will be allowed to play with it. Hoping they let me in.
- Amazon say the Kindle Development Kit will let developers leverage WhisperNet, eInk, the long battery life and more.
- The KDK will include sample code, documentation and a Kindle simulator that works on Mac, PC, and Linux desktops.
- EA Games are already working on Kindle games, Handmark are building a Zagat app, Sonic Book is building word games and puzzles.
A KDK with a Kindle simulator for PC, Mac, and Linux – Is it just me or does it seem like Amazon has a bunch of features saved up that it releases only when competition looms?
It’s sounding pretty impressive.
Reviewing the Kindle App Store’s chances
Reviewing the Kindle App Store – Is it too late?
The first question is obviously whether it’s too late.
Well, here are a few things to consider -
- There’s already a large customer base.
- The customer base is going to keep growing because there is a large market for dedicated eReaders.
- iSlate will be announced on the 27th – it probably doesn’t arrive till May or June.
- iSlate won’t steal all potential Kindle customers (due to price, lack of eInk, etc.) – probably between 25% and 35%.
- Nook and Sony are a threat – However, Amazon are improving the Kindle fast.
It’s definitely not too late. If Apple were to release a device solely dedicated to reading that also leveraged the App Store then it might be too late. At the moment it’s not too late by any stretch of the imagination.
How big of an advantage is the Kindle App Store?
Huge.
Have written in the past that the first eReader with Apps will get an insurmountable lead.
Let’s keep Apple out of the discussion for the moment and consider just the eReader market.
- Apps create killer features.
- Apps negate the competition’s killer features.
- Apps extend products in ways the original company hasn’t envisioned.
- Apps, if done right, can create entire new functionality – almost a new device.
- The first company with Apps gets a huge advantage.
Kindle already has the lead in eReader sales and there are claims that it has 90% market share in ebooks (your choice whether you believe it or not).
By opening up an App Store for the Kindle, Amazon has just ensured that at best it will destroy competing eReaders (excluding Apple and other companies’ multi-purpose devices) and at worst keep its lead.
Closing Thought – Which Kindle App do you most want to see in the Kindle Store?
What app would you most like for your Kindle?
- A folders app.
- Zagat’s reviews and guides.
- EA’s games.
- Crosswords.
- Sudoku.
- Auto-scrolling app.
What would you be willing to pay?
- Everything should be free.
- $1 to $3 prices are OK.
- Would pay $5 to $10 for better apps.
Will do a full post on just this – it’s very valuable information.
Thankfully we will see a Kindle App Store soon and let’s hope developers find lots of ways to extend the Kindle.
Filed under: kindle app review | Tagged: amazon kindle apps
[...] Kindle to support apps. Amazon is making the Kindle SDK available for download and will open up the devices as app platforms. So, if all things stay constant, third-party folks could make software that readers could install [...]
Yes, a folders app would be nice.
Perhaps a better mp3 player and pdf viewer.
I’d like a simple notepad/text editor.
I’d also like some kind of Outlook synchronization.
I’m curious to see if Amazon will implement an approval mechanism similar to the one Apple uses for the iPhone app store and how strict they will be on rejections.
One obvious potential app that I could envision and that no one has mentioned yet is an eBook reader for other non-Amazon formats (e.g., EPUB and eReader). If Amazon works like Apple, then I would expect such an app to be disallowed, citing something like “duplication of functionality”.
Anyone for the B&N eReader for Kindle?
A folder’s app would be greatly appreciated.
I agree with Pamela’s idea of Outlook synchronization.
Oh, duh! Yes, epub and ereader!
I’m all for useful apps being out there at reasonable prices but free is best for me.
But if the “original” Kindle isn’t included I will be VERY unhappy. No fun reading on blogs about little sisters getting upgrades and 1st born always left out!
Right now I live by stickies inside my kindle cover. I tend to read an author’s book in date-published order, check off my sticky as read then delete.
Top of MY list FOLDERS!
Give me some sort options “Genres”, “Sample books”, “Super Authors to get more books by”
how ‘about a pop-up list of Alt- key combos?
An app that would permit limited editing of ebooks already on the reader would be nice. For a start, I’d be happy with one that would let me correct books’ titles and other metadata.
Or how about one that would let me select fonts, line spacing and paragraph spacing?
And of course a decent Web browser would be terrific.
great ideas – the editing errors (and perhaps sending corrections to author) app is a great idea. Browser is a pretty critical app too.
I think my price cap would be around $3, simply because I’m only really interested in basic utility apps and/or tweaks to existing features. I want stuff that makes Kindle a better e-reader. I don’t currently see anything an app could do in that regard that would be worth a significant investment. But I suppose someone may yet surprise me.
Obviously a lot is going to depend on what functionality is provided in the sdk. It would seem like browsers and music streaming would require a monthly subscription based on usage. It seems like if nothing else, the stuff people do by hand right now { adding custom pictures and messing with fonts … } could be automated with an sdk.
I’d like a notepad app, for <$3, for writing memos and lists – to be able to transfer them to a computer would be nice.
Folders would also be very useful – but I thought there was something about folders coming in an update this year. Maybe they will be better developed as apps.
I’d love a Folders app–something that would allow me to sort my books by genre, currently reading, next in line, etc. I’m finding I tend to forget about books on my Kindle more easily than actual books on my shelves, so an app like this would help. I might pay a bit more for this!
I absolutely love my Kindle! I am more than content to leave it as just a book reader. A folder app would be helpful. Other than that … the less the toys the better.