Amazon issued a press release today touting the thousands of apps it will have available for its Kindle Fire. It name-dropped a number of popular apps that will be available through its app store, including “Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, Twitter, Comics by comiXology, Facebook, The Weather Channel and popular games from Zynga, EA, Gameloft, PopCap and Rovio.” It also pointed out that the apps will be 1-click purchasable, and have been tested for Kindle Fire compatibility.
Most of the press release is made up of statements from the developers and publishers of the aforementioned apps talking about how awesome it is that their apps are available for Kindle Fire. But as Jeremy Hill pointed out at our sister blog Gadgetell, perhaps the most important thing about this is that it shows Amazon doesn’t have any Apple-style inclination to limit users to its own content ecosystem—even though it has its own streaming movie service, it will make Netflix available as well. Even though it sells mp3s, it will offer Rhapsody and Pandora.
(I’m curious whether that will extend to e-books, however. Would Amazon allow a Nook Reader application into its app store? I rather doubt it. Though if the Fire allows side-loading of non-Amazon Android apps the way I’ve heard it is supposed to, it could still be accomplished without any jailbreaking being necessary.)
I don’t know if it will appear on the Fire, but Amazon’s app store does include Kobo.
I think this is good start for Amazon to shift its core business to another area. Reporter says Bozos has the chance to become another Jobs? A ha. Just wait and see what’s going on in the future. There is little chance for Kindle Fire to catch up with iPad.
Games and comic books? What a bore. What I want to know is if there’ll be a version of Instapaper that runs on the Kindle Fire. One of my chief complaints about my otherwise marvelous Kindle 3 is the absence of an Instapaper app.
I think this is good start for Amazon to shift its core business to another area. Reporter says Bozos has the chance to become another Jobs? A ha. Just wait and see what’s going on in the future. There is little chance for Kindle Fire to catch up with iPad.