Today Amazon launched what the company is calling “a complete rewrite of Amazon.com specifically for iPad.” The release of the app, dubbed Amazon Windowshop, is likely timed in hopes of capitalizing on the growing number of iPad users just as the holiday shopping season ramps up.
The app includes most, if not all of, Amazon’s website’s features. Users will find the familiar categories including “bestsellers,” “new releases,” and “recommendations.”
What Amazon hopes will distinguish the app from their iPhone and Android offerings is its use of the iPad’s capabilities to mimic an old fashioned physical catalog. Thanks to the iPads large multi-touch display, users will be able to fluidly scroll through products and zoom in to view high-resolution images. The app allows for video playback and music samples as well.
Amazon thinks the app is pretty great. Maybe even better than their actual website: “many Amazon customers may prefer Amazon Windowshop even when a large-screen web interface is readily available.” Amazon Windowshop is available for free on Apple’s App Store.
