Amazon introduced a Kindle store optimized specifically for the iPad today. It’s not a native app available in the App Store, so don’t think Amazon gave into Apple’s strict in-app purchasing rules. Rather, the iPad-optimized Kindle store is accessible at amazon.com/iPadKindleStore. It only works when typed into Safari on iPad.
Once there, you are greeted with a horizontal list of book covers representing the editors’ picks. In the left column is all the main categories of eBooks as well as some of Amazon’s featured sections like New York Times Bestsellers, New & Noteworthy, and Kindle Singles. On the right, you’ll find the familiar Top 100 list of current bestselling books. For obvious reasons, it’s on “paid” by default, but you can toggle to only free books if that’s what you prefer.
You can search for books using the appropriate search function at the top; to the right is the “Cloud Reader” button. Tap that and you’ll switch into Cloud Reader mode to read your eBooks directly from the browser. The better option for reading would probably be to just download Amazon’s native Kindle app for iPad.
Scrolling through the web app has some noticeable lag, but other than that, Amazon did a nice job designing it — and in HTML5, I might add. Despite competition between Amazon and Apple, the iPad Kindle store provides just one more option for book lovers who want to read on their iPad.