Amazon is hatching plans to release the Kindle in China after the company revealed it is in talks with the government and copyright agencies in the country.
The US firm has not put a time frame on a possible arrival on its e-reader, as discussions remain ongoing, although it did reveal, according to MENAFN, that it will initially look to introduce less complicated, user-friendly products to build demand in the country. The company also ruled out any possible partnerships with local content providers.
China is a hugely important market for the company with Amazon VP Marc Onetto revealing that the country is its fastest growing market, with profits up 80 percent.
News of the potential arrival of the Kindle comes just one day after Amazon rebranded its Chinese operation. The company dropped “Joyo” – which it inherited after purchasing the local e-commerce website in 2007 – to bring its China in line with its global branding.
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The Kindle will face strong competition in China, as and when it emerges. The iPad is – like the iPhone – one of China’s most desired gadgets, however a series of devices from Android and local manufacturers compete for attention. The market place is about to get even more crowded with a tablet running Alibaba’s Aliyun operating system (OS), manufactured by Chinese firm Tianyu set to debut before the end of the year.
Amazon will need to keep relations positive with the government to ensure its Kindle Store does not suffer the same fate as Android Market. The app store was blocked earlier this month, becoming the latest in a long line of issues for Google in China.
Given that some of the titles in the Kindle Store may be deemed unsuitable by the Chinese government, it remains unclear how Amazon would provide content in China.
Kindle users got a significant perk last week when Amazon ‘shipped’ Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography a day earlier than scheduled. Kindle owners were the first to get hold of the title, which was subsequently released on the Apple iBookstore hours later.
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