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Amazon Will Resume Selling Apple TV, Google's Chromecast (axios.com)
Ina Fried, reporting for Axios: Amazon confirmed Thursday that it will again sell the Apple TV set-top box and Google Chromecast dongle. The company had stopped selling the devices amid disputes with both giants. There's a lot of frenemy stuff at play here, with Google, Apple and Amazon all selling their own streaming devices, but also looking to offer their own services on one another's devices. Apple doesn't offer its programing on rival devices, but does move a lot of hardware through Amazon.
Amazon confirmed Thursday that it will again sell the Apple TV set-top box and Google Chromecast dongle.
This rarely happens. Amazon execs must have felt an uncomfortable lump in their throat before electing to cut their losses.
Way to go Google...
Perhaps they realized they will need to work with Google against the ISPs now that they have no guarantee of access to their customers.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
This means Prime Video is coming to Chromecast.
Part of their original justification for stop selling the Chromecast was that "it was confusing, because it doesn't work with our service" which was of course a purely their decision.
I find it really annoying to whole tab/phone cast to watch Amazon.
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
Amazon probably got scared after I bought a chromecast from Walmart and they lost out on a few pennies commission.
Why not offer their content on rival devices through an App?
You mean like they just did earlier this month?
Hopefully now they'll stop artificially preventing their Amazon Video app *for Android* from working on non-Amazon Android devices. I've told them many times that I would not even consider becoming a Prime member until they fixed this nonsense and supported Android TV without any poorly-performing hacks.
I know personally, that in the last week after the AppleTV client launch, I have used Prime Video more than I have since the launch of the service (years ago now).
What happened was, Amazon saw the figures coming in from things like AppleTV clients and realized the simple truth that the way you get people to use your video service more, is to actually let people use it across many devices, not just the ones you sell. Now that the Prime Video client is on Chromecast and AppleTV, every one sold is potentially more prime subscribers for Amazon...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
But can I Cast Prime now?
What's that? Amazon didn't want to sell competing devices once they provided their own? Too bad Amazon isn't as trustworthy as Comcast and Verizon who will absolutely not prioritize content that they are personally invested in.
Tell you what, when Apple lets you install an Amazon app store on their devices and Google sells Alexa's through the Play store, then you can bitch about who's trustworthy and treating their competitors fairly.
Maybe they listened to their own net neutrality arguments, and realized that (1) it was hypocritical to be arguing for net neutrality against the ISPs while simultaneously blocking competitors from their store. And (2) while a direct opportunity to help their own product sales existed by blocking competitors, there were indirect consequences in that the competitors could block theirs as well. Since it was a zero sum game, there was nothing to be gained by going down that route, and a lot of money to be lost inconveniencing customers just to arrive at the same final destination. (That is to say, progress comes from making your stuff better than others'. Throwing roadblocks in front of others to drag their products down may temporarily help your product get ahead, but it results in a long-term loss for all of society once everyone starts throwing up roadblocks.)
In other news, tit for tat leads the prisoner's dilemma to the optimal solution again.
How on earth can you compare the Amazon Marketplace with the Google or Apple websites?
Google and Apple sell only their own hardware on their own stores (perhaps will the odd authorised accessory).
Amazon purport to sell anything via their Marketplace, except they had deliberately chosen to block Google and Apple products.
Right? Kudos to comcast and verizon for being such good corporate citizens. Especially Comcast, did you know that for the past 3 or 4 years they've been rated as America's most loved company?
'Cept they didn't do that with Roku in Canada, nor Chromecast.
Unless you're in Canada. No Amazon Prime video app is available for Canadians, hasn't been despite the service being released a year ago. It's as if Amazon doesn't want me to watch their video stream?
That's kind of my point. Apple & Google want to complain that their competitor doesn't want to carry some of their products but there's no reason, really, that they can't carry Amazon's stuff. Especially Google. They want to be exclusive on their sites, fine, don't cry if Amazon feels the same about their branded products too.
Amazon has an Android app store where you can buy apps for your Android phone or tablet. So you can buy any Android tablet or phone now and go to an Amazon website and download the apk file for their 'store app,' install it and have an Android device that you can buy and get free apps for, without ever connecting that device to Google. That is sort of a big deal for people who want as little connection to Google as possible. It's highly unlikely a similar store could be opened for Apple devices, but it would be fun to see Amazon try.
Personally I'd be delighted if Amazon sued Apple for being a monopoly on their app store and fought to get an Amazon app store for iPhones as an option. Apple has already used their app store to try to fix ebook prices after all, which effected Amazon's business.
Just so Google doesn't block Amazon from putting an Alexa app in the play store, or block it's communication on the phone or network, I'm fine with them only selling Google hardware, same with Apple.
Amazon on the other hand sells just about everything, including identical products from other companies. I can get a 55 gallon drum of lube, and a horse head mask, but not a Chromecast?
I thought I read that Google's reasoning had more to do with a lack of features (login, subscriptions, comments, thumbs etc) that were not in the Amazon YouTube app? I'm sure it's mostly smoke and mirrors, but I'm also sure they want YouTube to look and feel how they want it to look and feel.
Cheers!
Amazon has had an Amazon Video app for iPhones and iPads for years.
They could have easily worked with Apple years ago to put an an app* on the 3rd generation ATV that didn't have an App Store - there are over 40 of them available.
The fourth generation ATV that did have an App Store has been around for two years.
Heck to everyone's surprise, the Prime Video app was released to the 3rd generation ATV last week. I still have three and with Prime and Plex on it (through PlexConnect) I don't have any reason to upgrade soon.
*apps on the 3rd gen ATV are really just webviews that use Apples TVML/XML markup language.
While there at it, they should sue Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo for being a "monopoly" on their console app stores and sue Walmart for not allowing them to set up a booth inside their stores.
Amazon doesn't directly compete against the providers of that 55 gallon drum of lube and doesn't sell Amazon branded horse head masks either.
Yet:)
Amazonbasics is apparently limited to 4oz containers of sex lube, but that's more likely because that's the most profitable size (and it encourages you to buy more and save!)