Amazon Kindle For PC App Now Available: Will It Help the Kindle Stay On Top Of Its Game?
The Amazon Kindle for PC application has just been made available for download at the Amazon.com site. With new competition coming fast at its heels, Amazon is leaving no stone unturned in making the Kindle more of a household name, even if it means releasing a Kindle application – and a free one at that — for a piece of equipment that is definitely less portable than an ebook reader: the home PC.
What Kindle for PC can do
With the new Kindle for PC software, ebooks bought from the Amazon site can now be accessed and read right on your computer monitor, in addition to being available on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, and of course the Kindle and Kindle DX. Amazon has also said that a Kindle software for the Apple Mac is on its way as well.
Why own a Kindle with the Kindle for PC app now available?
Being able to use the Kindle software on one’s computer is all very convenient for those who don’t own a Kindle just yet, but this latest development has left me wondering just how Amazon figured that this move could generate more interest in the Kindle device itself. Here are some thoughts that came to mind:
First, while the software is free for just about anyone to download and install (I’ve tried it myself and the process went seamlessly and was completed in about two minutes tops), you do still need to buy the content from Amazon. So whether you read the ebooks from your PC, Kindle, or iPhone devices, Amazon continues to increase circulation of its ebooks. Plus, the more ebooks you have, the more likely you will feel the need to own an ebook reader other than your PC, and preferably a compact and portable one at that. Hmm, sounds just like the Kindle.
As with the Kindle iPhone app, you don’t need to own a Kindle to be able to download the PC software and purchase ebooks from Amazon. However, if you are reading Kindle ebooks from multiple devices, the Whispersync technology allows you to sync your last page read, notes, highlights, and bookmarks with your Kindle, iPhone or iPod Touch. In effect, the Kindle for PC is just another great addition to your reading options, and in no way replaces the convenience the Kindle offers.
Lastly, making the Kindle application available on more platforms and devices could be Amazon’s way of establishing that the Kindle is still the ebook reader to beat.
New competitors emerging
A new ebook reading device from Barnes & Noble called the Nook starts shipping this December, and is touted as a formidable challenger to the Kindle. We’ll soon find out what stuff it’s made of and how it measures up against the Kindle.
In the meantime however, the Kindle for PC software could be making its rounds into most computer units even as we speak, with Amazon hoping that this should be enough to put the Kindle into the consciousness of more consumers, therefore allowing it to continue its dominance in the ebook reading industry.