Katie MarsalKindle reader coming to Mac
Amazon announced alongside the launch of Windows 7 Thursday that it would bring a desktop reader client to PCs. A company spokesperson later confirmed to Fast Company that the book seller also intends to release software for Mac OS X in the future.
As the Kindle platform has matured, Amazon has worked to take it beyond its e-reader hardware and onto other devices. In March, the company debuted its Kindle reader on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software allows readers to access their content and sync what page they were last on to a number of devices.
Apple and Amazon could soon compete in the e-reader market, as rumors have suggested for months that the Cupertino, Calif., company's long-rumored tablet device will, in part, function as a portable device designed to transform newspapers, magazines and other print media into digital content. The tablet is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2010.
Google Chrome adds QuickTime, printing
The latest release of Google Chrome for Mac this week is another milestone in the Web browser's long path to Mac OS X: the official developer preview. On the official blog, the development team announced that QuickTime and printing have made their initial appearance in the browser.
As first reported by ArsTechnica, the latest build is the first time the Mac OS X browser has been available for public download outside of nightly development builds. The report noted that the browser seems stable enough for daily use.
The Chrome is expected to come to the Mac with version 4.0 sometime this year, though it is not yet in beta. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, said that he wishes the browser had already been released and was more stable.
In August, a test of an early version of Chrome 4.0 for Mac found it was the fastest browser on the platform by 34 percent. Google's then-bug-filled browser outperformed Apple's Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 10 in a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test.
Andrew Orr
Christine McKee
Sponsored Content
Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Amber Neely
30 Comments
Nothing for windows?
Maybe I should buy a kindle...nooo I forgot about itablet lol
Oh god - here comes the Amazon and Google bashers now. Funny it's the same ones who bash Microsoft, Blu-ray, Palm, the Beatles, etc, etc. Tell us again how they copied from Apple, are lousy products, etc, etc. Please I won't be able to sleep unless I hear your words of wisdom.
In August, a test of an early version of Chrome 4.0 for Mac found it was the fastest browser on the platform by 34 percent. Google's then-bug-filled browser outperformed Apple's Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 10 in a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test.
That was only true on Leopard. On Snow Leopard Nitro trounced V8 in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes. I’d wager that when the official beta hits it will once again be faster on SunSpider.
Apple and Amazon could soon compete in the e-reader market, as rumors have suggested for months that the Cupertino, Calif., company's long-rumored tablet device will, in part, function as a portable device designed to transform newspapers, magazines and other print media into digital content. The tablet is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2010.
Is it just me, or is this looking for a battle that just will not be there? A tablet will surely be a relatively full-featured computer, whereas Kindle is deliberately only there to do one thing relatively cheaply (actually I can't write that without smiling, Kindle is far too expensive) and is light enough to reasonably replace a book.
I just don't see the two competing.
On the main topic though, I'm please Kindle apps are coming out for Windows PC's and Macs. The more places I can have my content from my Kindle, the better.