A new tool that lets consumers download digital books onto Apple devices could spur demand for some of the 240,000 digital titles sold through Amazon's online bookstore. But by giving people the option to read digital books on devices they already own, Amazon may also limit the appeal of its own line of e-book readers, some analysts fret.
On Mar. 3, Amazon (AMZN) released an application that lets owners of Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and iPod Touch devices download any book from its online store of more than 240,000 digital titles straight to their handheld. The app puts Amazon's e-books in front of customers who don't want to pay $359 or more for the Kindle 2, or who simply don't want to bother with an additional device.
Amazon stressed that its main goal was to make reading more convenient for owners of Kindle readers. The company's Whispersync technology now lets customers set down their Kindle at home and pick up reading where they left off on their iPhone—say, while on the bus or waiting in line at the checkout counter. "We view Kindle for iPhone as a complement" to the full e-book reader, says Amazon spokeswoman Cinthia Portugal.
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