Amazon Rebrands Kindle Unlimited as Kindle+, Expanding Audiobook Collection
Technology and e-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it is renaming its popular digital reading service, Kindle Unlimited, to Kindle+.
Alongside its traditional offerings of digital books, comics and magazines, the new service features a significantly expanded collection of audiobooks.
Despite the new branding, users' existing reading history, bookmarks, notes and saved books will remain unchanged. The monthly subscription fee will also remain at $12, with the existing limit of borrowing up to 20 books per month still in effect.
Automated ‘Virtual Voice’ and the Use of AI Technology
To rapidly expand its audiobook catalogue, Amazon has introduced a new opportunity for self-published authors using its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform.
Authors can now upload traditionally recorded audio files or use Amazon's new AI-powered ‘Virtual Voice’ technology. This artificial intelligence-based voice generation service will enable books to be automatically converted into audiobooks with a professional standard of audio quality.
Customer Experience and Device Compatibility
The redesigned Kindle+ service is now available and can be accessed seamlessly through Amazon's Kindle app, as well as on newer Kindle e-reader devices.
The strategic change is believed to reflect Amazon's response to the rapid global growth in the popularity of listening to audiobooks alongside reading e-books.
//DBTech/BMT/OR//
