Apple isn't a general purpose retailer. Their stores are in service of selling their own products. They could choose to not sell any 3rd party accessories if they wanted to.
There is a grave difference between "not selling something" and "banning" it. Every retailer can decide what he sells, what he gives shelf space to etc.
The Amazon Marketplace has thousands of third party resellers, and it has a dominating position in many markets, while neither physical nor online Apple Stores have a dominating position in anything anywhere.
But, it is not fair for those marketplace people that Amazon banning them from selling. They ship from their home or store and don't take physical space in Amazon warehouses. In fact, Amazon makes money on them by providing few mbytes of cloud space to advertise.
They are not trying to stop Amazon Video playback on the Apple TV. They are trying to get ON the Apple TV with their video, which they currently are not on. They are stopping sale of all streaming players, from whatever company, if those companies' players don't support Amazon streaming. The thought is probably as a cudgel to get Apple to add an Amazon app to Apple TV.
With the new SDK for tvOS, Amazon should be able to make their own app though. Maybe they want to get on current gen Apple TVs
Either Amazon has tried to get onto Apple TV but was rejected by Apple, or Amazon is purposely withholding Prime Video for Apple TV.
If Amazon really is trying to get on Apple TV, then a better strategy would be to publicly call Apple out. Amazon should openly state that they have been trying to get onto Apple TV but Apple is preventing it. Then Apple can either officially refute the claim or stay silent and let the self-appointed Apple PR spokesmen on the forums do the talking.
I wonder how much Amazon makes selling Apple products? I wonder how much Apple makes from Amazon sales. I wonder what would happen if Apple were to ban the sale of any of their products through Amazon?
Apple TV has an Amazon Video app? I can't find it.
They have an iOS app, at which point you can airplay to a Apple TV!!!. This is how you can get access to a number of services without it actually being built into Apple tv. Using PLEX for example.
I wonder how much Amazon makes selling Apple products? I wonder how much Apple makes from Amazon sales. I wonder what would happen if Apple were to ban the sale of any of their products through Amazon?
I would guess Amazon sells a decent amount of MacBooks. A huge plus buying from Amazon is you don't have to pay sales tax. I used to buy all my Apple products from Amazon until they started charging sales tax in California.
Wow, what an incredibly stupid move by Amazon. #1, this is not really going to hurt the sales of Apple TV and Chromecast. If customers want it, they can buy it from another retailer. #2, the most significant result of this decision is bad press with little gain. The exact opposite of a good marketing strategy.
I would guess Amazon sells a decent amount of MacBooks. A huge plus buying from Amazon is you don't have to pay sales tax. I used to buy all my Apple products from Amazon until they started charging sales tax in California.
I am in NC which also started charging tax from this year. In fact, my Amazon purchase has gone down 70% because of tax and with $35(raised from $25) minimum for free shipping.
Seems like a stupid/silly/odd move. They should be developing a killer app for the new Apple TV, selling Prime subscriptions and not worry about losing money on the hardware. I can't see why Apple would prevent an app for the TV when they make it available for iOS.
amazon is a general retailer. before today, can you think of any time in their history where they decided not to carry a product because it competed with their own first-party products? i cant.
I am in NC which also started charging tax from this year. In fact, my Amazon purchase has gone down 70% because of tax and with $35(raised from $25) minimum for free shipping.
I was pretty bummed when Amazon made the deal with the state of California. If you order enough to make it worth it, I would get Prime shipping. I split the cost with family members so it works out well for me.
If Amazon is saying that their service dosnt run well on other devices, sounds like they don't want the vast majority of their current customers, unless they're willing to buy their fire products to watch it on. It seems to work fine on my iPad, but maybe I'm just not picky. I do hate that they make you go to their website to buy the video, before you can watch it in the iPad. I assume that avoids paying Apple a fee.
This just seems bizarre that they would do this on the eve of the new AppleTV and tvOS, which will have an App Store and has a Developer Kit. There has to be something going on that we don't know about.
If Apple have rejected an Amazon Streaming App for tvOS, while allowing it for iOS, then it has to be somthing other than competing services. After all, they've had a Netflix App for ages. I think it's more likely Amazon hasn't actually looked at developing one.
My guess would be that they're trying to bolster sales of the FireTV. What bothers me about this is that previously they've had a pretty clear separation between their hardware business and their content business. The e-book division has worked on making the content available on every platform, while the hardware division has worked on making e-readers. There's been no question of pulling support for Kindle on iOS or Android, or banning those products from the marketplace.
What Apple and Google need to do to fire back at Amazon is to pull the Amazon Echo app off of the iOS app store and Google Play. You wouldn't be able to update the device without the app. Since the majority of people are using Android and iOS, I'm sure that would get Amazon's attention.
Apple, why can I watch ABC, HBO, ShowTime, CNN, Hulu and scores of other content providers - but I cannot log into my Amazon Prime streaming account from my AppleTV?
Comments
The only people buying them are the ones that hack it to get free content.
Not everyone. I bought the Fire TV so I could use the Plex App.
But Amazon can't choose?
Okay, I got it.
I guess this answers the question as to whether the new Apple TV (4) will have an Amazon Video app.
There is a grave difference between "not selling something" and "banning" it. Every retailer can decide what he sells, what he gives shelf space to etc.
The Amazon Marketplace has thousands of third party resellers, and it has a dominating position in many markets, while neither physical nor online Apple Stores have a dominating position in anything anywhere.
But, it is not fair for those marketplace people that Amazon banning them from selling. They ship from their home or store and don't take physical space in Amazon warehouses. In fact, Amazon makes money on them by providing few mbytes of cloud space to advertise.
They are not trying to stop Amazon Video playback on the Apple TV. They are trying to get ON the Apple TV with their video, which they currently are not on. They are stopping sale of all streaming players, from whatever company, if those companies' players don't support Amazon streaming. The thought is probably as a cudgel to get Apple to add an Amazon app to Apple TV.
With the new SDK for tvOS, Amazon should be able to make their own app though. Maybe they want to get on current gen Apple TVs
Either Amazon has tried to get onto Apple TV but was rejected by Apple, or Amazon is purposely withholding Prime Video for Apple TV.
If Amazon really is trying to get on Apple TV, then a better strategy would be to publicly call Apple out. Amazon should openly state that they have been trying to get onto Apple TV but Apple is preventing it. Then Apple can either officially refute the claim or stay silent and let the self-appointed Apple PR spokesmen on the forums do the talking.
I wonder how much Amazon makes selling Apple products? I wonder how much Apple makes from Amazon sales. I wonder what would happen if Apple were to ban the sale of any of their products through Amazon?
LOL. That was never in question.
They have an iOS app, at which point you can airplay to a Apple TV!!!. This is how you can get access to a number of services without it actually being built into Apple tv. Using PLEX for example.
I wonder how much Amazon makes selling Apple products? I wonder how much Apple makes from Amazon sales. I wonder what would happen if Apple were to ban the sale of any of their products through Amazon?
I would guess Amazon sells a decent amount of MacBooks. A huge plus buying from Amazon is you don't have to pay sales tax. I used to buy all my Apple products from Amazon until they started charging sales tax in California.
Wow, what an incredibly stupid move by Amazon. #1, this is not really going to hurt the sales of Apple TV and Chromecast. If customers want it, they can buy it from another retailer. #2, the most significant result of this decision is bad press with little gain. The exact opposite of a good marketing strategy.
I would guess Amazon sells a decent amount of MacBooks. A huge plus buying from Amazon is you don't have to pay sales tax. I used to buy all my Apple products from Amazon until they started charging sales tax in California.
I am in NC which also started charging tax from this year. In fact, my Amazon purchase has gone down 70% because of tax and with $35(raised from $25) minimum for free shipping.
Seems like a stupid/silly/odd move. They should be developing a killer app for the new Apple TV, selling Prime subscriptions and not worry about losing money on the hardware. I can't see why Apple would prevent an app for the TV when they make it available for iOS.
amazon is a general retailer. before today, can you think of any time in their history where they decided not to carry a product because it competed with their own first-party products? i cant.
thus the head scratching.
I am in NC which also started charging tax from this year. In fact, my Amazon purchase has gone down 70% because of tax and with $35(raised from $25) minimum for free shipping.
I was pretty bummed when Amazon made the deal with the state of California. If you order enough to make it worth it, I would get Prime shipping. I split the cost with family members so it works out well for me.
If Apple have rejected an Amazon Streaming App for tvOS, while allowing it for iOS, then it has to be somthing other than competing services. After all, they've had a Netflix App for ages. I think it's more likely Amazon hasn't actually looked at developing one.
My guess would be that they're trying to bolster sales of the FireTV. What bothers me about this is that previously they've had a pretty clear separation between their hardware business and their content business. The e-book division has worked on making the content available on every platform, while the hardware division has worked on making e-readers. There's been no question of pulling support for Kindle on iOS or Android, or banning those products from the marketplace.
What Apple and Google need to do to fire back at Amazon is to pull the Amazon Echo app off of the iOS app store and Google Play. You wouldn't be able to update the device without the app. Since the majority of people are using Android and iOS, I'm sure that would get Amazon's attention.
I guess this answers the question as to whether the new Apple TV (4) will have an Amazon Video app.
whats the answer?