SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc., owner of the world’s largest Internet search engine, plans to sell digital books as early as next month in a challenge to Amazon.com and Apple in the market for electronic publications.
The service would not be tied to any one device, a Google spokesman said yesterday. The company has been working on the idea of selling digital books since 2006.
An expansion into e-books fits with Google’s effort to generate higher sales in businesses other than Web search. The new feature pits Google against Amazon.com Inc., seller of the Kindle e-reader, and Apple Inc., which offers digital books for its new iPad tablet computer. About 6 million e-readers will be sold this year, up from 3 million last year, Forrester Research Inc. predicts.
Google’s shares fell $24.23 to $506.37. They have dropped 18 percent this year.
The Kindle has about 60 percent of the e-reader market, Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester says.
