Flipkart launches eBooks app for iOS, Windows Phone & PC; inks strategic partnership with Nokia to make app pre-loaded on Lumia devices

Indian e-commerce premier Flipkart has launched its eBooks app for three new platforms—iOS, Windows Phone and PC browsers. The company already has an Android app (read our detailed review of the app here), which was launched in late November 2012 (at the time it came under the now discontinued digital media store Flyte).

The company had launched the eBook category with a selection of over 1 lakh eBooks; this number has now gone up to 2.5 lakhs. "We aim to increase this to 10 lakhs by 2013-end," said Mekin Maheshwari, head – payments and digital media, Flipkart. The company has also partnered with Nokia to make the app pre-installed in the upcoming Nokia Lumia devices. However, the other details of the deal have not been disclosed.

When asked whether Flipkart is looking to go the Amazon way and launch an eBook reader device (like Kindle) to more seriously foray into the segment, Maheshwari said Flipkart won't look at launching a hardware device anytime soon."Our main aim is to make the content available on as many platforms as possible, which is why we have launched it across platforms," he said.

Flipkart's eBook app for Android had crossed 50,000 downloads from 25,000 customers within a month of its launch; however, the company is refraining from sharing the latest numbers, though it said that on the Android platform, the app has 87,000 users to date.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)