Amazon has optimized its MP3 web store interface for display on the iPhone and iPod touch. Although shoppers can't download music directly through the site, they can buy tracks which will appear in the Amazon Cloud Player app for streaming or download. Back on a computer, purchases can be automatically imported into iTunes. The iOS version of the site is built on HTML5 and includes usual promotional sections like recommendations and album and song sales.

Amazon can't sell songs through a native iOS app, since Apple would claim a 30 percent cut of the revenue, forcing Amazon to either take a significant hit or inflate prices. Even then Apple might be unwilling to sell such an app, since it would pose direct competition for iTunes. An iPhone-oriented website is likely Amazon's best possible option for working around these issues.

by MacNN Staff