MUMBAI: Tech giant Amazon has launched a mobile version of its MP3 store for users of Apple devices like iPod and iTouch, giving users a way to buy songs from the online retailer through their devices.
Amazon’s 22 million song catalogue has been optimized Apple devices, making it easier for iPhone owners to circumvent the iTunes store. The move is part of a new initiative by the retail giant in challenging Apple’s dominance of the digital music market.
Apple users can browse Amazon’s MP3 store for music using Apple’s Safari Web browser. Users buys get saved to their Amazon Cloud Player libraries and can be downloaded or played instantly from Apple devices or other gadgets such as the Kindle Fire.
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Amazon said in a statement, “For the first time ever, iPhone and iPod touch users can discover and buy digital music from Amazon’s 22 million song catalogue using the Safari browser. Music purchases are automatically saved to customers’ cloud player libraries and can be downloaded or played instantly from any iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phone or tablet, Roku, Sonos home entertainment system, or any Web browser, giving customers the freedom to enjoy more music, from more devices than any other major cloud music service.”
The move comes a week after Amazon launched a service that gives CD buyers instant copies of music in the internet ‘cloud’ in a challenge to iTunes.
By using a mobile site instead of a native app for the Amazon MP3 Store, the online retailer has circumvented paying Apple a 30 per cent cut of in-app music sales. It also gives Amazon complete control over updates to the Amazon MP3 store experience on iOS.
In the newest announcement, Amazon also stated that its MP3 mobile website for iPhone and iPod touches is built on HTML5, which means customers can make purchases directly from the website. Amazon offers some deals, including $ 5 albums, 69-cent songs and free songs from artistes on the rise.
