Why can’t I purchase Kindle books on my iPhone?
Have you ever wondered why it’s not possible to buy books for your Kindle on your iPhone? It’s a question that has intrigued me too. I mean, it would be so convenient to have all your books in one place, right? So let’s dive into this mystery and figure out the reasons behind it.
Well, first of all, it’s important to understand that the Kindle and the iPhone are products of two different companies – Amazon and Apple. Each of these companies has its own platform for purchasing and managing digital content. Amazon has its own Kindle Store, while Apple has the App Store.
So here’s the thing. Amazon wants to sell its Kindle books through its own platform, which is the Kindle Store. Why? Because that’s where they have all the control. They can set their own prices, run promotions, and provide a seamless experience for their customers. It’s like having your own little bookstore, but in the digital world.
On the other hand, Apple also wants to have control over the content sold on its platform, the App Store. They want to ensure that all apps meet their guidelines and standards for quality and security. That’s why they require all in-app purchases to go through their own payment system, which means they get a cut of the revenue.
And this is where the clash happens. Amazon doesn’t want to give Apple a cut of every Kindle book sold on the iPhone. It would mean lower profit margins for them and less control over their own business. So, they made the decision to not allow purchases of Kindle books directly on the iPhone.
But don’t worry, there’s still a way to read Kindle books on your iPhone. You can simply download the Kindle app from the App Store and sign in with your Amazon account. This will sync all your purchased books across your Kindle devices and the app. So even if you can’t buy books directly on your iPhone, you can still access your entire Kindle library and read to your heart’s content.
In conclusion, the reason you can’t buy Kindle books for your iPhone is due to the clash between Amazon’s desire for control over their own platform and Apple’s need to have control over the content sold on their App Store. But fear not, the Kindle app is here to save the day and allow you to enjoy your Kindle books on your iPhone. Happy reading!
So here I am, answering another user question, ‘Why can’t I buy Kindle books on my iPhone?’ To be honest, my initial reaction was, ‘Why would you even want to?’ Kindle is way better for reading books than the iPhone. But then I started thinking, why shouldn’t you be able to read a book on your iPhone whenever and wherever you want?
In this day and age, we all want things instantly. Whenever there’s something stopping us from getting what we want, when we want it, it doesn’t go down well. Even though Apple does this all the time, they still manage to sell millions of their devices. There’s even an official Kindle app available on iTunes.
Apple’s In-App Purchases
Apple, being the owners of the entire iPhone ecosystem, have got everything locked down tight. Any developer or publisher who wants to sell an app, with or without in-app purchases, has to jump through a lot of hoops just to get on iTunes. Some of these hoops are there to ensure quality and security, which benefits us as users. But some aren’t.
One of the conditions of offering an app on iTunes is that Apple takes a 30 percent cut of everything you sell. That includes both the app and any in-app purchases. This is a pretty steep fee, especially considering the average retailer takes anywhere between 5 and 15 percent. Some retailers take even more, but on average, there aren’t big profit margins in retail. Unless you’re Apple.
With Apple taking 30 percent, Amazon can’t afford to keep their prices low. If they did, they’d either have to sell at a loss or raise the prices on their iOS app to cover the extra cost. But then nobody would use it, because they could just buy the book cheaper directly from Amazon.
Amazon
No one can deny that Amazon is a cash-rich company that makes a lot of profit. But their business model is structured differently. They plan for global domination by operating on narrow profit margins and offering low prices.
Instead of taking a big chunk out of a few transactions, they take a small cut out of many more transactions. They believe that by selling at a lower price, they’ll sell more products. So by taking a smaller percentage for each transaction but doing more of them, they still make their money. It’s like the saying in retail, ‘stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap.’ And that’s Amazon’s recipe for success.
While Apple and Amazon have completely different models, neither one is superior to the other in terms of economics. Both companies make a ton of money and offer a wide range of products to their customers. The only ones really losing out are the customers themselves. We’re limited in what we can do, buy, download, or play within the Apple ecosystem. You could argue that this ecosystem is more stable and secure as a result, but Apple’s profit-making schemes have nothing to do with stability or security and everything to do with making more money.
How to Purchase Kindle Books on Your iPhone
If you’re using the Kindle app on your iPhone, you may have noticed that you can browse books, read excerpts, and access free books, but you can’t actually buy any. This is by design, but don’t worry – there’s a way around it. You can purchase Kindle books on your iPhone, but not through the Kindle app.
- First, open Safari on your iPhone.
- Next, go to http://www.amazon.com/kindlemobilestore.
- Sign in with your Amazon account.
- Select the book you wish to purchase.
- Click “Read now” and the book will open in your Kindle app.
This process should work seamlessly, as you’re simply buying a regular item through the web. It doesn’t trigger any taxes from Apple or utilize the Kindle app in any way. As long as you’re logged in with the Amazon account linked to your Kindle app, any purchased book should be instantly available.
Alternatively, you can also use the Kindle Cloud Reader.
- To do this, open Safari and go to http://read.amazon.com.
- Log in with your Amazon account.
- Click “Kindle Store” in the top right corner.
- Browse for books and make purchases as desired.
The Kindle Cloud Reader is a handy app that you can use on any device. It allows you to load books into the app and read them through any browser, on any device. I had no idea it existed until I started researching this article, but now that I know, I think I’ll definitely give it a try.
Do you know of any other methods to buy Kindle books on your iPhone? Have you tried either of these? Share your thoughts with us below.
