Amazon to launch first UK iPad eBook store?

Stuart Turton Read more March 22, 2010

Amazon has released a Kindle app for the iPad, even as Apple remains tight lipped on when its iBooks service will hit the UK.

Amazon to launch first UK iPad eBook store?

The iPad Kindle app will compete with Apple’s own iBook store, which will be launched in the US alongside the iPad on 3 April. Intriguingly, Amazon’s already negotiated license deals to sell eBooks in the UK, while Apple has suggested its iBooks service may arrive at a later date.

Instead of simply porting the existing Kindle app from the iPhone, Amazon has dedicated a team of 14 developers to completely overhaul the interface for the iPad’s larger screen.

In a demonstration given to The New York Times – which worked with Apple on creating its own app for the iPad’s launch – Amazon showed the reworked home screen, which displays the covers of all installed books against the image of a silhouetted boy reading under a tree. The sun in the image rises and falls depending on the time of the day.

Pages can be turned by swiping a finger across the screen, and Amazon claims users can highlight text in different colours, as well as alter fonts and sizes.

Alongside the iPad tweaks, the app brings the raft of features found on the iPhone, PC and Mac versions, including the ability to synchronise bookmarks, notes and page information across multiple devices, import your Kindle library, and access the Kindle Store.

Apple hasn’t confirmed the iPad’s UK release date, beyond “late April”.