科技英语新闻:Amazon unveils new Kindle app to sidestep Apple rules

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Amazon on Wednesday launched Kindle Cloud Reader, a web-based app that may help the on-line retailer to sidestep Apple's App Store restrictions.

In its announcement, Amazon said Kindle Could Reader uses the HTML5 web standard to let users read e-books from their Kindle library from the Safari browser or Google's Chrome browser on their desktops or tablet, including the iPad.

Support for Internet Explorer, Firefox and the Blackberry Playbook will be launched later this year.

The app has a button linked to the Kindle Store, which was removed recently from the Kindle apps for iPad and iPhone.

The move is taken as an answer to Apple's latest App Store restrictions, which banned developers to have any external links for purchasing digital books or subscriptions in the app, unless they give Apple a 30 percent cut from the in-app sales.

Besides Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books and Canadian e- book seller Kobo have also altered their iPad and iPhone apps to comply with the rules.

Meanwhile, publishers and retailers have been developing web- based HTML5 apps to sidestep Apple for more control, which is an approved-of technology for iOS devices.

The Financial Times, Kobo and video-on-demand service Vudu have recently launched their HTML5 app to avoid paying Apple a 30 percent cut.

Industry watchers said it is unknown how Apple will deal with such apps. It would be easy for Apple to disable Web apps in the iPad's Safari browser, but the company would certainly face some backlash, said tech media website CNET.