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Sony finally gets Apple approval for iOS Reader app

After a long delay, a free Sony Reader iOS app makes its debut in Apple's App Store.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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David Carnoy
Costumers who've bought e-books from Sony can now read them on iOS devices. Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

It was always a great mystery why Sonynever had an iOS app so its Reader customers could read their Sony e-books on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

Amazon has its Kindle app. Barnes & Noble the Nook app. And Kobo has a Kobo app. But somehow Sony's Reader app remained conspicuously absent from the Apple App Store (a free Reader app for Android devices has been available for months).

Not anymore. I got an e-mail today from the Sony Reader Store Team announcing that it had launched "Reader for your iPhone, iPad and iPod."

No mention was made of the long delay, just that it had arrived.

In the past whenever I asked Sony reps why Apple had yet to approve its Reader app, they seemed openly mystified. Like other companies, they'd apparently stripped the app of any links to their e-book store.

We'll probably never know exactly what happened, but it appears that Sony and Apple have finally patched up their differences, whatever they may have been.

You can check out screenshots of the app here or just download it if you have an iOS device. Interestingly, the Sony Reader iOS app is powered by Bluefire Reader, which has its own app in the App Store. But so far Reader customers don't seem to care one way or another; they're just happy there's an app.

"Thank you, Sony, for finally having a presence on my iPhone!" user Frank Wang wrote, giving the new app a 5-star rating.