iPhone Kindle app
At first glance it seems innocuous enough: Amazon has launched a version of its Kindle eBook store optimized for the iPhone’s web browser to make it easier for users of Apple’s device to purchase new eBooks for the iPhone’s Kindle application. “The most common feedback we heard from customers was that they wanted a better experience for purchasing new Kindle books from their iPhones”, says Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon Kindle operations.
In the updated iPhone Kindle app, a “Get Books” button opens the phone’s Safari web browser and takes users straight to the new iPhone-friendly site. Any new purchases made then show up in and are downloadable from the iPhone Kindle app itself.
See also: What Kindle on iPhone says about Amazon’s eBook strategy
The result of which is that Amazon has made it relatively simple for users to purchase Kindle content in a way that replicates the iPhone’s upcoming ‘in-app purchases’ feature, all without giving Apple its 30% cut or, presumably, breaking any terms of service.
The reason they don’t break any terms of service is that it launches MobileSafari to allow you to browse the store. They didn’t build an ecommerce engine into the app, or embed a mobile safari web view into the app, they make you leave the app and hit the store through the web browser itself.
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That's what I figured. It's a nice work around Apple's 'In app' purchasing engine though 🙂