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I think it's because their Fire TVs are actually competitive in a market that the Apple TV doesn't own. Contrast this with their Kindle tablets that are fighting over scraps in an iPad world, and their Fire Phone that was dead on arrival. Denying their app on iOS isn't going to change the tides. Denying it for ATV will make some people either reconsider their purchase or entice them to throw down $40 for a Fire Stick along with their ATV.
Apple isn't going to reject and Amazon prime application if they follow the app store rules. They allowed Plex they will allow Amazon.
 
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Apple isn't going to reject and Amazon prime application if they follow the app store rules. They allowed Plex they will allow Amazon.
he wasn't talking about Apple denying Amazon. He was talking about Amazon denying Apple TV users an app thrus driving them to purchase a Fire Stick.
 
he wasn't talking about Apple denying Amazon. He was talking about Amazon denying Apple TV users an app thrus driving them to purchase a Fire Stick.
Sorry I misread that. Yeah no one that was buying a Apple TV is going to say yeah i'm not buying it for a fire stick. Their isn't one Amazon piece of hardware I would by over an Apple product. I know I am not everyone but there is no reason for Amazon not to do this plain stupid in my opinion on all counts taking apple tv and chrome cast off there retail channel and not putting their service on products that customers want it on. I know this much Amazon wasn't built on this type of business practice. They will alienate their customer base which I am one of them. I love Amazon.com but this could change my feelings. I already cancelled prime once b/c of cost and reordered it if I do it again I want be so quick to come back.
 
I'm sure Amazon is resistant to being on the new Apple TV because Amazon doesn't want to give Apple a percentage of the revenue generated by media purchases (through Apple TV) on Amazon. Apple certainly won't give Amazon a free ride either.

That said, I don't give a flying f which company is responsible for the current stalemate. The bottom line is that I won't be buying an Apple TV until there IS an Amazon Instant Video app for the device. Period.

No Amazon Instant Video app = No Sale to me!

Mark
 
I really wish Amazon Instant Video had an Apple TV app. HOWEVER, playing devil's advocate, I can see Amazon's logic/thinking. They tried coming out with an Amazon phone to compete with the iPhone and that failed miserably. The Apple TV doesn't have the popularity as the iPhone. The set-top box market has more level playing field...Amazon still had a chance for their set-top box to be a success. Their first move would be to eliminate the main competition from their marketplace, which they did by banning Apple TVs and and Chromecasts. The majority of online sales for both of those devices were from Amazon.com.

The second issue Amazon has with Apple is the roughly 30% cut that Apple takes from in-app purchases. This is the reason why the iOS Amazon Instant Video app is very limited. If you try to rent a movie from the app, Amazon tells you to go to amazon.com via a web browser, rent the video, and then come back to the app to watch it. That's there way of avoiding paying Apple's 30% per/sale fee. (which to be fair, is quite a lot) If Amazon came out with an Apple TV app, it would be a horrible user experience. Browsing shows and videos, then being asked to go rent it on a computer, then come back to the Apple TV app, wait for the rental to show up, and then watch it. Or they could give in and start paying Apple the 30% cut, but then what if Roku, Sony (PS4), and Microsoft (XBOX) decided to start charging Amazon 30% cuts too? For a 2.99 rental, Amazon would be losing almost a dollar per rental. That's crappy.

Amazon Instant Video has a huge customer base. And they are getting exslusive content deals and coming up with Emmy-award winning original content. They are trying to put themselves in a place where set-top box companies WANT an Amazon Instant Video app. (instead of the other way around) They want to be a must-have app like Netflix and Youtube.

I think Amazon's thinking is Apple will finally cave in and remove the 30% fee in exchange of Apple TV being put back onto the Amazon.com site and to calm Apple TV customers demand for the Amazon Instant Video service. (which is getting more popular each year)
 
I'm sure Amazon is resistant to being on the new Apple TV because Amazon doesn't want to give Apple a percentage of the revenue generated by media purchases (through Apple TV) on Amazon. Apple certainly won't give Amazon a free ride either.

That said, I don't give a flying f which company is responsible for the current stalemate. The bottom line is that I won't be buying an Apple TV until there IS an Amazon Instant Video app for the device. Period.

No Amazon Instant Video app = No Sale to me!

Mark
Amazon doesn't have to share I cut. It can make it like it is on other iOS devices just to be viewed not to be ordered. They are just getting greedy and wanting more.

They need to listen to their customers and just get it on the device. Do it the apple way!!! Make you product available on the enemy and then win them over time. They did this with the iPhone on Windows and that is one of the reasons they have the most popular phone in the world.
 
I can see this being more of an Amazon issue. Amazon has Prime Reading/Library thing exclusive to Kindles. so if on an iOS device with Kindle app you can't get them (without any sort of crazy workaround)

Amazon has plenty of people on prime and can get some to pick up a cheap FireTV for Prime viewing as a native app. and that's a few more $$ in amazon's pockets. Sure, you can AirPlay Prime video to AppleTV but that is not the perfect experience.
 
Well, considering you can't purchase Amazon video through their apps on other drives away, whats the difference if they have an App for Apple TV?
 
Well, considering you can't purchase Amazon video through their apps on other drives away, whats the difference if they have an App for Apple TV?

If there was an Amazon Instant Video app for Apple TV, Amazon would have to give Apple 30% of every rental that was purchased through the app. This is why the iPad/iPhone version of the Amazon Instant Video app can only view free movies or movies a customer has previously purchased/rented through a web browser. They do not want to give Apple any cut of the money.

The reason the Amazon Instant Video app is on so many Smart TVs and blu-ray players and Roku is probably because they don't get to keep 100% of the money. (or the cut they have to give to TVs/Roku is a lot smaller than 30%)

I think Microsoft also gets a cut of in-app purchases on Xbox One which is why you can't rent movies with the Xbox One Amazon Instant Streaming app.
 
If there was an Amazon Instant Video app for Apple TV, Amazon would have to give Apple 30% of every rental that was purchased through the app. This is why the iPad/iPhone version of the Amazon Instant Video app can only view free movies or movies a customer has previously purchased/rented through a web browser. They do not want to give Apple any cut of the money.

The reason the Amazon Instant Video app is on so many Smart TVs and blu-ray players and Roku is probably because they don't get to keep 100% of the money. (or the cut they have to give to TVs/Roku is a lot smaller than 30%)

I think Microsoft also gets a cut of in-app purchases on Xbox One which is why you can't rent movies with the Xbox One Amazon Instant Streaming app.

There is absolutely nothing stopping Amazon or something like Vudu from doing the same thing they do on iOS devices - release a streaming only app (no purchases). They don't have to offer buying functionality at all in the app.

Why they wouldn't do this is beyond me. I'm really waiting for someone like Vudu to get an app in the store just to open up the ATV to the UV library.

-Kevin
 
I read somewhere that Apple now charges streaming companies like Netflix only 10%.
They are also open to special deals.
 
I wonder if there is more to this story. Do you find it odd that NO video rental service has an app released on Apple TV 4? Amazon, VUDU, Redbox, CinemaNow, Sling. Maybe it's not an Amazon thing, but an Apple thing. Apple really wants people to use their iTunes store to rent movies. When these video rental services are readily available on HDTVs, Roku's, Chromecasts, blu-ray players, etc, you would think that they would want to all create apps on Apple TV. The per/rental cut that Apple is asking for must be really terrible for none of them to want to create apps for such a popular device.
 
I wonder if there is more to this story. Do you find it odd that NO video rental service has an app released on Apple TV 4? Amazon, VUDU, Redbox, CinemaNow, Sling. Maybe it's not an Amazon thing, but an Apple thing. Apple really wants people to use their iTunes store to rent movies. When these video rental services are readily available on HDTVs, Roku's, Chromecasts, blu-ray players, etc, you would think that they would want to all create apps on Apple TV. The per/rental cut that Apple is asking for must be really terrible for none of them to want to create apps for such a popular device.

If they don't offer purchases/rentals in the app - they don't have to give Apple anything. Yes the experience for the user isn't great since they have to go to another website to order, but that hasn't stopped Amazon with Video or Kindle and Vudu with movies on iOS today.

Redbox streaming failed, but the others could technically offer a viewing only app where you rent/purchase on their site and watch in the app on the ATV.

EDIT:

Apple doesn't have a requirement that the service has to offer things in the app. I don't bill Netflix through iTunes. I could subscribe to Hulu from their site.

I hope in the end we see Amazon/vudu develop apps. And if Apple want's to be jerks about it.....take it to the press and tell the world. But I don't think that can happen with the app store (unless there are different terms and conditions for the ATV app store).



-Kevin
 
It's only been 7 days since the Apple TV was released so all of these services (including Amazon) might have ATV4 apps on the way.

I just think it's weird that NONE of these apps are on Apple TV but they are on Xbox One, PS4, Smart TVs, blu-ray players, Roku boxes, etc. The Amazon and VUDU iOS apps haven't changed much over the years. tvOS is just a streamlined version of iOS so it couldn't have been too hard to have created an ATV version of the same app. Most of the code would stay the same.
 
It's only been 7 days since the Apple TV was released so all of these services (including Amazon) might have ATV4 apps on the way.

I just think it's weird that NONE of these apps are on Apple TV but they are on Xbox One, PS4, Smart TVs, blu-ray players, Roku boxes, etc. The Amazon and VUDU iOS apps haven't changed much over the years. tvOS is just a streamlined version of iOS so it couldn't have been too hard to have created an ATV version of the same app. Most of the code would stay the same.

That's what I'm hoping....that we just need to give them time. I'm pretty sure that Amazon Video on the Xbox doesn't allow buying directly from the console - you have to go to the website.

-Kevin
 
You are correct. I have an Xbox One and the Amazon app is streaming-only - no renting allowed. But, Amazon, Vudu, CinemaNow, and Sling were all available at or near launch of the Xbox One console. None of them are to be found at launch of ATV4.
 
I just AirPlay my iPad to ATV and it works great!! Would be nice if it was in there but this seems to work just as well.
My iPad becomes the remote.
 
Amazon and Vudu could release with purchasing and increase the cost of tvOS purchases to cover Apple's cut. YouTube Red does this.
 
I now have a hunch that Amazon is working on an App. They only just yesterday released the Amazon Instant video app for ROKU in the UK. Previously no app was available. I guess just watch this space.
 
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I just AirPlay my iPad to ATV and it works great!! Would be nice if it was in there but this seems to work just as well.
My iPad becomes the remote.
this is the best reason for amazon to come up with an app. if they have a tv app native then someone can just save $300 and buy a kindle.
 
I asked them via Facebook and Twitter and if everone else does the same they may change their mind. So please lets bombard them with Apple TV requests. :)
I'm a prime subscriber, I sent them an e-amil asking them for ATV4 support. I also said in the e-mail that they support the Roku (non Amazon product) with an app, so why not the AppleTV. I think everyone here who would like to see Prime Video on the ATV should e-mail them, post their twitter, etc. to show them that there is interest in an AppleTV app.
 
They know that there is interest. However I'm sure that they want Apple to allow them to sell content not on Prime w/o paying Apple 30%. Roku allows this.
 
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