A little more than two years after opening its Appstore for Android, Amazon.com says it will be expanding the market internationally to countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa and South Korea — reaching nearly 200 countries around the world.
The company this morning started taking app submissions from developers in additional countries, aiming to stock its virtual shelves in advance of the broader international launch. Currently the Appstore is available only in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and United Kingdom.
The international expansion lays the groundwork for Amazon to continue growing the market for its Kindle Fire tablet.
Separately, three developers of third-party apps for Amazon Kindle e-ink devices told GeekWire this week that Amazon has informed them it will no longer be accepting new “Active Content” apps for the Kindle e-readers, although it will continue to support their existing apps in the marketplace. The developers said the company is shifting its focus to apps for the Kindle Fire tablet.
Amazon denies our report, saying it continues to support the program and approve Active Content apps.
