Amazon has today announced the launch of Kindle Unlimited — a service which gives you access to over 1 Million book titles at a paltry ₹99 a month (discounted price as of now). The service, starting today, is debuting both in India and Asia as a whole.
Kindle Unlimited is an extended feature for Amazon Kindle owners and Kindle app users, through which they can access virtually the entire Kindle catalogue starting at just ₹99 a month. There are other, more extended plans as well, details of which are shown below :
So why choose India to debut a service in Asia, when almost every other brand does that in India’s Northern neighbour China ? Well, the math behind this debut is pretty much straight forward.
India is set to become world’s second biggest smartphone market by 2017, only behind China. Having said that, India already is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world, set to take over China as mobile devices’ sale slump there.
Moreover, it is a known fact that US companies face extensive operational difficulties in China, a stark contrast when compared to India. India’s market — for which Amazon has already infused $2 billion with plans to push in $5 Billion more — is more open for US companies to do business and gives far more operational freedom as compared to China.
Amazon’s director of Kindle content, Sanjeev Jha, said the India launch was part of the company’s push to make “reading more accessible than ever.”
For less than the average price of one hardcover bestseller, we’ve made the best digital library in the world available to every corner of India,
he added.
The service isn’t just limited to Kindle device owners though. Those with a Kindle iOS or Android apps installed on their phone can also take advantage of the service (and hence the smartphones point).
While the actual service costs ₹199 ($3), Amazon has started with an initial discounted price, offering the service for a mere ₹99.
