iPhone to be formidable opponent to the Kindle?

While the iPhone platform has proven attractive to game developers, e-books have begun to dominate the latest apps, according to data collected by Flurry. From August 2008 to August 2009, most of the new apps were released into the Games category. Starting in September, however, the Books category took the lead for the first time in the App Store's history.

The research company also tracked active user sessions within the e-books category. The numbers showed a 300 percent increase in active sessions on the iPhone and iPod touch from April to July, with nearly 3 million different users.

Many analysts believe the iPhone platform is benefiting from the growing tendency of publishers to release a digital versions alongside print books. Although Apple has denied that it plans to offer its own e-book service, the App Store contains several entries that serve as portals for specific publishers or content from other devices such as the Kindle.

Several rumors surrounding an Apple tablet suggest the company will highlight the device as a formidable e-book reader. While the iPhone and iPod touch present text on a 3.5-inch display, a tablet-size device presumably would offer a much larger screen on-par with dedicated readers offered by Amazon and Sony.

by MacNN Staff