Amazon has turned to the ranks of Apple’s iOS developers in an effort to get more apps for the company’s ebook reader Kindle platform. According to AppleInsider, Henri Hansen, the developer of educational app Atonium, has been approached by Amazon to port his periodic table app to the Kindle platform for use on standalone Kindle tablets.
Amazon’s cold call email told Mr. Hansen that the company is most interested in educational apps. It would appear that the company is looking for ways to make the company’s physical ereader devices more competitive in the educational market — with black and white E-Ink displays, Kindle tablets are not as conducive to entertainment and more general-purpose apps as iPad, Android tablets, or even Barnes & Noble’s Android-based tablet, the Nook.
Though the e-mail to Mr. Hansen didn’t appear to say so, it’s possible that Amazon is considering broadening its Kindle hardware offerings to include an LCD display device to go toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPad. Amazon has a large user base for its ereader, and the company now has the Amazon Appstore for Android to market third party apps to Android smartphones and tablets.
An Amazon Kindle-branded general purpose tablet could well find footing against the iPad where other companies have so far failed to do so. From being able to push it to existing Kindle owners — who tend to be quite pleased with their devices — to pushing it all over its massive online store, Amazon has marketing opportunities other tablet makers and marketers don’t.
That’s pure speculation on our part, however, and Amazon’s recruiting drive appears for the nonce to be aimed at its existing Kindle devices.