Amazon aiming to take on Apple TV with March launch of new set-top box
Internet retail giant Amazon is reportedly planning to preempt Apple's rumored springtime Apple TV refresh with an Android-powered set-top box of its own --?and the device could go on sale as soon as next month.
There is no word on what features the device might ship with or whether Amazon has struck new content deals that go beyond the agreements currently in place for its Prime streaming service, according to Re/code. Word of Amazon's living room ambitions first surfaced last October with news that the company was readying a streamer, code-named "Cinnamon," for the holiday season.
At the time, it was believed that Amazon was planning to allow the box to stream movies, television shows, and music from Amazon's own cloud streaming services. The company was also said to be considering the ability to run games and third-party applications from content providers, similar to the way the popular Roku box operates.
Amazon is thought to have delayed the device's launch until this spring after Amazon senior management was "underwhelmed" with the product's direction and market fit.
Then, earlier this month, a report emerged placing Amazon in "early stage" negotiations with major content providers to add live television streams. Amazon later denied that report, saying it was focused on its existing Prime video service and new content from Amazon Studios.
If Amazon does launch such a device in March, it would enter the fray just weeks before Apple is expected to introduce a long-awaited update for the Apple TV. That update would bring new hardware, including a faster processor, and a revamped user interface alongside potentially major content deals.
Apple is thought to have been in negotiations with cable provider Time Warner to provide live and on-demand programming through the new box. It is unknown how the the surprise announcement of Time Warner's merger with Comcast could have affected those negotiations, as Comcast has a set-top entrant of its own.
There is no word on what features the device might ship with or whether Amazon has struck new content deals that go beyond the agreements currently in place for its Prime streaming service, according to Re/code. Word of Amazon's living room ambitions first surfaced last October with news that the company was readying a streamer, code-named "Cinnamon," for the holiday season.
At the time, it was believed that Amazon was planning to allow the box to stream movies, television shows, and music from Amazon's own cloud streaming services. The company was also said to be considering the ability to run games and third-party applications from content providers, similar to the way the popular Roku box operates.
Amazon is thought to have delayed the device's launch until this spring after Amazon senior management was "underwhelmed" with the product's direction and market fit.
Then, earlier this month, a report emerged placing Amazon in "early stage" negotiations with major content providers to add live television streams. Amazon later denied that report, saying it was focused on its existing Prime video service and new content from Amazon Studios.
If Amazon does launch such a device in March, it would enter the fray just weeks before Apple is expected to introduce a long-awaited update for the Apple TV. That update would bring new hardware, including a faster processor, and a revamped user interface alongside potentially major content deals.
Apple is thought to have been in negotiations with cable provider Time Warner to provide live and on-demand programming through the new box. It is unknown how the the surprise announcement of Time Warner's merger with Comcast could have affected those negotiations, as Comcast has a set-top entrant of its own.
Comments
The lack of channel/App store is an absolute joke, it would have been a piece of cake for them to roll it out years ago. Not as if the channel apps take up a lot of space, Apple could easily have set guidelines as to the design of each channel.
Stop trying to sell us content Apple, leave that crap to the cable companies etc and leave them the choice of providing an app just as they do for the iDevices. Charge an extra £100 and make your money on the hardware!
/s
I wouldn't pay an extra £100 for an Apple logo. What's stopping you dumping your Apple TV in the bin now? I personally only require YouTube/Netflix/AirPlay. My biggest gripe with Apple TV is not apps or UI, but the crappy IR remote. Typing and Bluetooth are two areas I'd like to see Apple address with the new Apple TV. And no, a Bluetooth Apple keyboard on my coffee table is definitely not what I mean, nor the crumby remote app. I need custom dedicated hardware from Apple for this. Rest assured I still sleep at night, but Apple would do well to fix these issues.
I love my Amazon Prime shopping account but I have never used the Amazon Streaming HDTV service other than once to see what it was all about. Even with FiOS 75 Mb/s it was not in the same league as Netflix on my Apple TV in quality or experience. In fact, I would like to see Amazon split the delivery Prime from the TV prime as I presumably am paying for something I won't use.
The lack of channel/App store is an absolute joke, it would have been a piece of cake for them to roll it out years ago.
A piece of cake, huh? And I suppose you have experience at all of this? Perhaps there's something stopping content providers from releasing apps for a set-top box? Like maybe, contracts with the cable companies? Remember Google's box? They couldn't even stream video from web sites - they were blocked by all the content provider's sites. It's not as cut and dry as you'd like to think it is.
Apps are released for other iOS devices because those devices aren't tied to the living room TV where cable companies (in the US) reign supreme.
An App Store is coming to the AppleTV but it will be restricted to Entertainment titles; media, games, education. ATV2 and 3 will have support for the new store, but restricted to content apps. Any games made available will more than likely require you to buy the new Apple TV.
Now that Apple has released iRadio, I'd really like to see them enter the video streaming market. iTunes library is huge and would definitely add value to the Apple TV. Especially if they used the same model; free with commercials or a monthly fee without commercials. I think both Amazon and Netflix could use a little more competition. Hopefully Apple has been hard at work at bringing that together.
I think you missed the point - the original poster is saying that the platform should be opened with content providers being able to decide when to release their content, within an available framework (SDK). This is similar to how the App store works, and would drive rapid competition vs Apple having to negotiate content deal separately.
The main problem with this approach being that this leads to a fragmented experience, but it could be tied together with a global programme guide across Apps. Apple have one chance to get this right, so we should afford them the appropriate amount of time to deliver to our high expectations
Mike
I think I will wait for the HD Kindle TV, Paperwhite is great for reading books in the sun, but not so much for watching video.
Seriously, until someone can serve up a la carte channel selection all the streaming TV solutions will be similar to the Apple TV and Roku.
Amazon's play will be serving up the Prime video they already offer, plus maybe they will let you shop online from your TV. Oh joy. Based on their Kindle model Amazon will practically give away the STB to get them in customers hands.
I predict a selling price of -$20 (for the all ads all the time version).
Yawn - they are not competing with Apple, but with Roku.
People buy the AppleTV to steam iTunes and/or Netflix, they buy the Roku to stream Netflix and/or Amazon prime. The overlap of a new Amazon box will mainly be with the Roku.
I think you missed the point - the original poster is saying that the platform should be opened with content providers being able to decide when to release their content, within an available framework (SDK). This is similar to how the App store works, and would drive rapid competition vs Apple having to negotiate content deal separately.
The main problem with this approach being that this leads to a fragmented experience, but it could be tied together with a global programme guide across Apps. Apple have one chance to get this right, so we should afford them the appropriate amount of time to deliver to our high expectations
Mike
I think the main reason we haven't seen an ATV app store is because Apple doesn't want it to end up like, well, the iOS App Store. Wading through thousands of entries with no way to swipe through the crap. Remote app aside, I hate entering text with the included remote...I couldn't imagine trying to sort through tons of apps using the same paradigm.
I think whatever version of the app store ends up on ATV, I'd imagine it's going to be more heavily curated than the iOS store.
Amazon is 'evil' and should be avoided. I never use Amazon and I survive just fine. There has been much written about this so its and easy search. Here's just one of countless articles...
http://blog.seattlepi.com/trevorgriffey/2011/04/03/top-10-reasons-to-avoid-amazon-com/
And next week is MWC where Samsung and others are showing off new devices so I'm sure it will be lots of FUD and D&G for Apple. The media is in full Galaxy S5 hype mode. No doubt the new phone will be proclaimed the best "iPhone killer" yet and Apple stock will tank.
Yep. That's the way it is; and that's the way it is.
Apple knows that's the way it is, and they're totally cool with that.
Enjoy.
Contrary to what virtually everyone who whines about apps says, that is.
No. Keep selling us content, Apple.
Nothing you have said here is correct.
This re-enforced the importance for Apple to enhanced its Apple TV offerings asap. Games, apps, more content, ...
A piece of cake, huh? And I suppose you have experience at all of this? Perhaps there's something stopping content providers from releasing apps for a set-top box? Like maybe, contracts with the cable companies? Remember Google's box? They couldn't even stream video from web sites - they were blocked by all the content provider's sites. It's not as cut and dry as you'd like to think it is.
Apps are released for other iOS devices because those devices aren't tied to the living room TV where cable companies (in the US) reign supreme.
An App Store is coming to the AppleTV but it will be restricted to Entertainment titles; media, games, education. ATV2 and 3 will have support for the new store, but restricted to content apps. Any games made available will more than likely require you to buy the new Apple TV.
What is standard in the USA is rarely the same outside of the USA. Not releasing an APP/Channel store before now simply because content providers in the USA would not jump on board is not a good reason.
In the UK, for example, the BBC would almost certainly have their own channel on the ATV rather quickly.
Others providers such as Amazons Love Film etc would also be very likely to get their content onto the ATV as soon as possible.
From a US point of view the ATV as it stands may be a tad limited, but there is quite a bit of local content available. For the rest of the planet the offerings are very sparse indeed and the frequent "updates" add salt to the wound as the updates are almost exlusively for American consumers only.
The channel store would have fixed this imbalance almost over night and Apple would have sold a truck load more ATV units, they own the hardware and the software and could have arranged this a long time ago had they wanted to.
Yawn - they are not competing with Apple, but with Roku.
People buy the AppleTV to steam iTunes and/or Netflix, they buy the Roku to stream Netflix and/or Amazon prime. The overlap of a new Amazon box will mainly be with the Roku.
True, though Apple could compete if they wanted to. I hope Apple's strategy here becomes apparent this year so we can all stop wondering...and (some of us) waiting.
True, though Apple could compete if they wanted to. I hope Apple's strategy here becomes apparent this year so we can all stop wondering...and (some of us) waiting.
They could compete - I think that they made a mistake not supporting Amazon Prime, Roku would be a lot less popular if they had done it, and Amazon probably wouldn't have bothered with their own box.
I don't see the point of supporting Netflix and not supporting Amazon Prime - block both if you are worried about cannibalizing iTunes, or allow both, but don't just allow one of them.
Yawn - they are not competing with Apple, but with Roku.
People buy the AppleTV to steam iTunes and/or Netflix, they buy the Roku to stream Netflix and/or Amazon prime. The overlap of a new Amazon box will mainly be with the Roku.
Exactly. Roku already has Amazon streaming so the only way the Amazon box will be successful is if it has something major that Roku and Apple TV does not.
The first streaming box that has nearly all of the major network, cable network, and premium network channels with the latest live episodes of current shows is going to be the winner. If it's true that Apple has partnered up with TWC and will have access to all content that TWC has, that's a homerun and Apple TV could be the first device to provide all content cable does with all of the benefits of the Apple interface and on-demand streaming.