Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Amazon Launches $39 'Fire TV Stick' to Compete With Chromecast, Apple TV

devices

none of the devices are competition rather a attempt to keep there own eco system alive apple amazon have there own eco system if there was a real attempt to compete some one would develop a device that would be able to stream amazon google and apple
 
The Google and Amazon sticks are cheap and for most people would be worth a punt.

Apple TV is comparitivley very expensive. I don't think this really competes with Apple TV as the article suggests - it just makes Apple TV look very pricey.
 
Hate it that Amazon started charging 6% sales taxes in Florida recently. $19 was a great price.

Now I have to pay $.1.14 in sales taxes.

Mine won't ship till Dec 16th now.
 
I pre-ordered one. I like the compactness of Chrome Cast and I like the dedicated remote of my ATV. This looks like it has successfully combined both.
 
Quick question, do you have to have a Prime account to use this device or just need an account to access prime shows?
 
aneftp said:
Hate it that Amazon started charging 6% sales taxes in Florida recently. $19 was a great price.

Now I have to pay $.1.14 in sales taxes.

Mine won't ship till Dec 16th now.
Click to expand...

Since the start of the internet, you've been required to pay that sales tax. You've just been breaking state and federal tax laws and not paying it on your taxes each year. If a retailer does not charge tax on their website, it is your responsibility to pay it. Just be grateful that you haven't been charged it before now.

----------
MPclk2006 said:
Quick question, do you have to have a Prime account to use this device or just need an account to access prime shows?
Click to expand...

Only need the Prime account to get Prime Video. All the other services work without one though you will pay $39 for it rather than $19 without a Prime account.
 
DolsJ said:
Looked great until I read the details and notice you need to plug it into a wall outlet. That is a deal breaker. I have no easily accessible outlet right next to the TV. The outlet for the TV itself is recessed into the wall behind where the TV is mounted. It also kills the portability for the product. Not to mention the unsightly cord (wife hates visible cords) and power adapter brick that adds to the bulk you have to carry around.

Love how none of the photos include the adapter in the shot.
Click to expand...
Chromecast is the same way. With it, you just plug the included cable into a USB port on the back of the TV and you're done. Doesn't necessarily need plugged into the wall.
 
usersince86 said:
Google and Amazon are innovating, at least for the products many people want.

appleTV, the non-updated iPad Mini, and the non-upgradeable Mac Mini are true fails for Apple right now.

And I've been an Apple user (and pretty close to a fanboy) since 1986.

Not everyone who wants good products is a high-end user.

If you aren't at least somewhat frustrated by Apple, you're not paying attention.

(PS ordered 2 Fire TV Sticks)
Click to expand...

doom! doom! I've been using their products since before I was born and im concerned about apple!

please.. enjoy your landfill sticks -- they'll be right next to the failed Amazon Fire phones that failed.

a Mac for $499....is a helluva thing. no surprise its not high end.
 
kuwxman said:
Chromecast is the same way. With it, you just plug the included cable into a USB port on the back of the TV and you're done. Doesn't necessarily need plugged into the wall.
Click to expand...

Doesn't look to be the case here. There is no included USB power cable only the wall wart. They also note on the setup instructions that it cannot be powered directly by your TV and should be plugged into a wall.
 
Let me first start off by saying I love my Apple TV. I have owned each iteration since the very first model. This has been my 'hobby' since 2007. Over this time I have amassed quite a movie and music library, always available to stream from my Mac or from the cloud.

During this time, Apple made some wise choices such as moving to a more solid state device without a hard drive and utilizing streaming. Price was found to be a paramount issue when it came to these things. $250 was much more than anyone wanted to pay and $99 would entice many to dabble. Then came the move from 720p to 1080p with the same form factor and still $99. The inclusion of many 'channel' services also came about.

While I would love to see a new updated Apple TV, the current version handles the task very well without Apple taking a loss. We as consumers don't like it but it justifies its existence with shareholders. Apple also now knows its all about the services and that whole infrastructure while the hardware itself... just isn't a money maker. Cheaper hardware in this case, promotes more services to sell. You don't need an 8 core beast with 16GB of RAM to watch 1080p movies.

So things I would like to see from Apple? Some 'modest' Apple TV updates with the possibility of supporting 4k movies without overpricing the unit. Some smart features such as Siri, web search, and even TV apps are very possible. Most importantly, I beleive Apple should carve out and create its own web based subscription service. Think of an Apple branded Crackle/Netflix/Hulu.

In the end the Amazon stick is pretty cool, but what is the most compelling and the biggest opportunity for the future are the on demand services and content (free of cable subscriptions).
 
I Am Designer™ said:
When will Apple get into this game?

They're rarely first to a category but this is a category where the average consumer is highly unlikely going to want to have more than one black box or stick attached to their TV. Why? Because of remotes, management of devices and the fact they have so much core cross over.

What is Apple waiting for? They have a matured iOS. An App Store. Their own distribution model. As well as the chops to make an highly effective incremental update to the Apple TV (the same sort of incremental update they're happy to make with the ipad mini or Mac mini) and create a new dent in the universe.

Even the watch, an unreleased product has got a 'kit' for developers. But the Apple TV - the one accessible box that could become a home hub for the masses, languishes.

Get in the game Apple.
Click to expand...

as if they weren't. I'm always stunned by those who think apple, the biggest, most successful company in the history of earth is just sitting around, twiddling its thumbs, picking its ear.... how many successful initiatives must they produce since 1977 to give you a clue??
 
HyperZboy said:
Really? You think Amazon is not making any money?

What are you drinking this evening? LMAO
Click to expand...

Better question is what are you reading? It's not the news or you'd know Amazon will likely take a $40m loss the year after reporting disastrous losses for the previous quarter last week.
 
mdelvecchio said:
as if they weren't. I'm always stunned by those who think apple, the biggest, most successful company in the history of earth is just sitting around, twiddling its thumbs, picking its ear.... how many successful initiatives must they produce since 1977 to give you a clue??
Click to expand...

To be fair - they could really overhaul the Apple TV - it's still pretty cumbersome. It's the least "apple" like hardware/software they have
 
juanrp said:
Amazon? The same company that dropped their phone down to $0.99 after being released for only a small amount of time?

Let me know how it goes.

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Yes, also the same company that made reading hip again and had the best selling ereader. It's also the same company that released the first true non-iPad tablet and is competing with Apple, Google, Netflix, pandora, and a dozen other

Don't write off Amazon for one failure
 
JDee said:
Not sure how this will do but it's pretty amazing how fast technology is changing. I never thought I'd see the day where 1 GB of memory, a dual-core processor & 8 GB of storage could be on a device the size of a flash drive. And all that for $39? Wow.
Click to expand...

So true.

RAM was a $1 per MB when I started piecing together machines.

"A buck a meg" was a good deal...
 
octothorpe8 said:
I guess. I haven't found ANY features on any of these that would compel me to switch from Apple TV. It has a clean interface and streams video reliably from either my iTunes library or whatever channel I pick, and that's 99% of my use right there. On top of that, it will let me AirPlay from my phone or extend my display from my laptop. I can type directly into search fields from a paired bluetooth keyboard or the on-screen keyboard on my phone. I'm not out to play video games on a crappy set-top box (have an Xbox) and voice search just sounds like a gimmick. Seriously, what am I missing by not having a super over-spec'ed Fire TV or whatever?
Click to expand...
I think you're missing the point.

Do you like Siri? They call it a gimmick, Apple calls it a major feature. You're doing the same thing but in reverse.

Outside of keeping a keyboard on your couch (just plain ugly to lug out a keyboard when using your TV), you can speak right into the remote (hey-- just like you can speak to Siri :) ) If you don't have a voice remote, you can use their remote app (already out for Android, soon for iOS), because if you have a keyboard on your lap, I'm sure you have your phone out.

They have all of the channels you have, PLUS games (not everyone wants a horrific looking xbox in their living room, but sometimes kids want to play some games). But hey, might as well add some xbox controllers to your bluetooth keyboard, right?

Plus, you paid 2.5x the cost for your Apple TV (for Prime members right now, the Apple TV is 4.5x the cost), and the remote requires line of site and another product next to your TV. But hey, if you have a bluetooth keyboard, xbox controllers, and an xbox staring at you as you sit on your couch, what's an Apple TV to boot?

So the feature you're really paying for now is extending your desktop on your TV. But guess what? I use my computer... on my computer.

So while there still may not be "ANY features" that interest you on "a super over-spec'ed Fire TV or whatever," hopefully your cluelessness as to the appeal of these products has been reduced somewhat.
 
Google and Amazon mean business under $40, but for Apple at $99 it's still a hobby. Oh well, maybe next year they will come out with a slightly more powerful and thinner Apple TV. It will be magical and revolutionary, the best thing they've ever created. I can see the stupid video now.
 
DolsJ said:
Doesn't look to be the case here. There is no included USB power cable only the wall wart. They also note on the setup instructions that it cannot be powered directly by your TV and should be plugged into a wall.
Click to expand...

I believe when they say "cannot be powered directly by your TV” they’re talking about just the HDMI port. The power port is microUSB, so I’d be surprised if it needs more than what a standard USB port outputs, but we’ll have to wait and see what the power requirements are, or get the output spec from the power supply.
 
teknikal90 said:
i just dont understand the demand for anything else but the apple tv.
aside from the price ($99 is pretty reasonable to me)..i have 1 tv in the house...
i can stream ios, use airplay, netflix, itunes movies and stream my laptop for everything else...
Click to expand...

I have an appleTV and would LOVE for Amazon to make Prime Movies/TV available for it, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

So, I'm getting it for Amazon Prime video, so I don't have to hook my computer to my TV or use my iPhone/iPad to stream Prime content from my WIFI to my iPad to my TV. (Also, despite the haters, Amazon has some exclusive content (or content that's free there but charges other places.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back