Apple TV 4K sales resume at Amazon after two-year block
After a more than two year sales block on Apple's set-top media streamers because of "customer confusion," Amazon now has two "Sold by Amazon" listings for the Apple TV 4K.
The listings popped up overnight, and are not third-party sales. Both of the entries are for full retail price -- and are currently listed as temporarily out of stock, and no estimated delivery window.
Amazon withdrew the Apple TV and Chromecast on Oct. 29, 2015, after it claimed that Amazon Prime Video compatibility was necessary for the company to sell set-top boxes to avoid "customer confusion." Amazon could have made that happen with a channel in the third-generation device, or an app for the fourth-generation, but at the time it chose not to do so.
In 2016, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos suggested Prime Video would remain off devices made by Apple or any other company marketing comparable set-top streaming products until amicable reimbursement models are agreed upon.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at the WWDC that Amazon's video streaming service would be available on the Apple TV in 2017. After several false starts, the app hit the Apple TV third and fourth generation, plus the Apple TV 4K on Dec. 6.
The listings popped up overnight, and are not third-party sales. Both of the entries are for full retail price -- and are currently listed as temporarily out of stock, and no estimated delivery window.
Amazon withdrew the Apple TV and Chromecast on Oct. 29, 2015, after it claimed that Amazon Prime Video compatibility was necessary for the company to sell set-top boxes to avoid "customer confusion." Amazon could have made that happen with a channel in the third-generation device, or an app for the fourth-generation, but at the time it chose not to do so.
In 2016, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos suggested Prime Video would remain off devices made by Apple or any other company marketing comparable set-top streaming products until amicable reimbursement models are agreed upon.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at the WWDC that Amazon's video streaming service would be available on the Apple TV in 2017. After several false starts, the app hit the Apple TV third and fourth generation, plus the Apple TV 4K on Dec. 6.
Comments
I know it was probably Amazon's decision not to have an apple tv app which moot's the whole thing but the argument they put forward is certainly plausible.
However, if a product is compelling enough, and customers ask for it over & over, the store will likely consider carrying the product (or developing the app).
And here we are.
Where does Apple TV fit in? It doesn't really. It was just collateral damage, caught in the crossfire in the dispute between Google and Amazon. (Which began when/because Amazon ridiculously thought that they could take forked Android and create an ecosystem that was more profitable and influential than Google Android. That idea might have made some sense back when Google Android was really struggling, and Amazon was able to convert their fairly large Kindle e-reader customer base to Android-powered Kindle devices, but after the Google/Samsung combination took off, Amazon should have taken a reality check. In some sense they have scaled down their war with Google over Google's own OS ... they have stopped trying to compete with the Google Play Store for instance and they gave up on their plans to make a competing productivity suite to Google Docs, and have finally listed Prime Video in the Google Play Store instead of forcing you to sideload it ... their main trick to force Google Android people to use the Amazon App Store, but first the battleground shifted from tablets and phones - especially after Amazon's phone tanked - to TV streamers and now AI assistants). Instead, Amazon merely delisted the Apple TV in order to legitimize their decision not to sell Chromecast or the Fire TV. (The Apple TV was never really a competitor to the Fire TV because it cost too much, and owning an Apple TV makes no sense unless you already own an iPad, iPhone, Mac or at least an iPod in order to use iTunes). And the fact that Apple does not (yet) have a comparable AI assistant to Alexa and Google Assistant makes the decision to return Apple TV easier, as the Apple TV + Siri combo isn't a competitor to the Echo Show the way that a Nexus Player + Google Assistant combo would be.
Now that Amazon is now selling Apple TV again, going forward this fight really doesn't affect Apple anymore. But it is likely going to take a lot more than selling Chromecast again in order to get Google to back off their YouTube threat. Amazon is going to have to agree to relist Nest - which again blocking never made sense in the first place - as well as either Google Home or an Android TV box. If I were Amazon, I would choose the latter because where people actually are buying Google Home devices, no one is buying Android TV boxes, as most traction for Android TV have come from Sony Bravia smart TVs that run the platform.