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Amazon to Cease Selling Apple TV, Google Chromecast Over 'Prime Video' Incompatibility
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This is one of the things making this issue confusing: Amazon's timing. They pulled the existing Apple TV because it doesn't support Amazon Instant Video. This is completely true, the only exception being Airplay from another device. Pulling their competitor's offering definitely raises some eyebrows, but their excuse holds water.
The bigger question is, given that the new Apple TV allows third party apps, and that Apple would be unlikely to reject their submission, will Amazon offer the new Apple TV for sale when it ships?
So much back and forth saying that Google and Apple actively blocking Amazon, that's not the case. As you can already instal the amazon app via the Apple app store, on the Google side you have to find the Amazon app store (now known as the underground store??) download the instant video app all the while having to essentially sideload Amazon apps to get them on your Android device. Ever since Prime video was released Android users have asked for years to have mighty Amazon give them a Prime Video app. Well, they got one but missing Chromecast support.
The process of adding Chromecast support is relatively easy from a dev stand point (layman's understand, not an expert at this) Amazon refused to do this. They only wanted to push their own streaming devices as the only way to view Prime video content on your TV easily.
All of this is on Amazon's shoulders. They only want you to buy and use their brand of content streaming devices to view Prime video. This will ultimately turn around and bite them as they try to pass blame off onto others and deflect bad press onto Apple and/or Google as ill informed public will swamp Apple and Google and demand them to play nice with Amazon.
The process of adding Chromecast support is relatively easy from a dev stand point (layman's understand, not an expert at this) Amazon refused to do this. They only wanted to push their own streaming devices as the only way to view Prime video content on your TV easily.
All of this is on Amazon's shoulders. They only want you to buy and use their brand of content streaming devices to view Prime video. This will ultimately turn around and bite them as they try to pass blame off onto others and deflect bad press onto Apple and/or Google as ill informed public will swamp Apple and Google and demand them to play nice with Amazon.
Amazon needs Prime subscribers—their business model doesn't work without it, and that's why they've been a scourge of Wall Street lately—far more than Apple needs Amazon. Big, ego-driven mistake on their part. Not surprising, considering who's in charge down there. Madness.
Amazon is a little different, in that they want to be the world's only store. Refusing to sell products based on some marginal streaming service nobody uses doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and it reminds people that Amazon isn't the place to find everything.
If Amazon wanted to be on Apple TV but Apple was refusing because of anticompetitive behavior why wouldn't A Amazon crow about it? If Apple is being a jerk here clearly it would be a PR win for Amazon, no?
Explain to me how you can install the app on atv3, after all it's about atv. They are not blocking iOS devices.
Very different, Apple Store is specifically for products they produce and accessories, while Amazon is a generic marketplace.
I don't think you have a good grasp of what the term "agnostic" means in this context. I never said Roku offered every app/service available from every company. No, it's not (quite) a universal platform. But because they exist only to sell their hardware, and not push any service of their own, they have a policy of aggressively encouraging as many providers as possible to bring their apps/services to Roku. That's really their marketing angle: we have a ton of apps, including all the major providers except, as you point out, Apple. (Of course, there's little to no content exclusively available for purchase or rental through iTunes that can't be had from other vendors that are on Roku (Google Play, Vudu, etc.) but that's beside the point.)
The original post to which I responded was bemoaning the sort of corporate turf war BS that we're seeing between the three tech/media giants: Apple, Google and Amazon. I was simply helpfully trying to point out to him that perhaps he should give Roku a look because, more than any other streaming TV box provider, they avoid all that crap. Roku is more or less the Switzerland of TV streamers.
Anyway, I get it, you're an Apple fanboy. Hey, I have a Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV myself. But I doubt I'll ever get the next-gen Apple TV because I want one box that will aggregate all of the streaming services I use and that includes Amazon Prime.
Apple hasn't had Amazon on atv up to now, what makes you think they will allow them on the atv App Store?
I'm not understanding this. Is Apple not allowing a prime video app for the new Apple TV? There are amazon apps for the iPhone and iPad. This seems like a very simple thing to remedy. Maybe Apple is saying they would want a cut of any prime memberships sold through the TV app or something.
Because it follows the App Store model now. There are currently 6 Amazon iPad apps in the App Store right now, including Kindle, Audible, Amazon Video and Amazon Prime Music.
Cant blame them for playing apples typical game. Apple does this with a lot of products, most recently fitbit. Cant knock them for not selling something that doesn't support their service. Its not like the apple store sells surface pros lol
Previous Apple TV app selection was tightly controlled by Apple which meant very limited selection of Apple TV apps. With the new one it is much more open to allow an actual app store filled with 3rd party apps. We'll know more when the NDA is lifted and all of those devs that are working on Apple TV apps will start to appear. We'll see if Google releases a Google Play TV & Movies app for the new Apple TV.
What I posted was to the effect in how Amazon is trying to use deflection to say that the evil Apple and Google didn't or won't play nice with us and for that, we won't be selling their streaming devices in our store.
Again, Amazon is only wanting to have Prime Video users using Amazon streaming devices to view the video content they have. It's like Netflix making you purchase a Netflix approve device to view their video content.
Because there hasn't been an app store for Apple TV until now. Before, getting on the AppleTV was pretty much by invitation only and providers had to work closely with Apple along with various contracts and licensing etc. Now, presumably, if your app meets the criteria set forth by Apple in the developer agreement for inclusion in the AppleTV App Store then why wouldn't it be included?
I can see this as a likely response to chrome cast and Apple TV not currently supporting Amazon Prime. Sure you can AirPlay them, but the mobile apps have many movies and shows missing. A full TVos app could change that, which I'm hoping they will eventually create
What are you talking about? ATV4 is nice, but it's hardly a revolution. At that price point it will not be huge success. Most people have smart televisions already. Granted: they suck, but spending 200 dollars on what is perceived as an iTunes/iPhone extension?
I have an ATV2 and I don't see any point in upgrading.
There's no source supporting either side clearly.
"Amazon has long refused to hand over a percentage of content sales to Apple (iOS) or Google (Android), which would allow convenient in-app purchases on both platforms. (For example, on iOS, Amazon's video app will only show you movies you've already purchased or rented plus content that can be streamed for free as part of Amazon's Prime service.)"
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/1/9434115/amazon-bannning-apple-tv-chromecast
"But the statement is misleading in that it implies it’s Apple and Google who have made the decision not to support Amazon Prime Instant Video on their platforms. When in reality, it’s Amazon that has decided not to build for those platforms."
http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/01/amazon-bans-sales-of-apple-tv-and-chromecast-on-its-site/
"I spoke with Amazon Video execs at length a number of years ago about the companies plans to support Apple TV. At the time, it was expressed to me that Amazon very much wanted to be on Apple TV but that getting Apple to agree to allow the service on was a problematic hurdle."
http://mashable.com/2015/10/01/amazon-banishes-apple-tv-chromecast/#CJFcuEXBDgqA
There are no content sales through either the Amazon Video app or the Amazon.com apps in iOS.
On an iPad, you can just pop open Safari and go buy the content, then stream it in your Amazon Video app.
On a television, you may need to walk upstairs to go buy the movie you were just looking at on your television.
I think the difference here is that anything on the television must be extremely low-friction from a user experience perspective. Amazon offers digital content sales whereas most of the other streaming services on Apple TV don’t (as far as I am aware, aside from the rare subscription in-app purchase), so I think there would be even a higher expectation to be able to buy AND watch on Apple TV. That’s just a guess, though.
Why there are no digital content sales on any iOS device is a question open to debate. Do they not want to lose sales to a competing platform, or is it that Amazon’s margin on digital content wouldn’t support Apple’s 30% cut for in-app purchases? I don’t know.
I'm not sure what difference it will make. When you are investigating a new TV platform generally you would do research beforehand, so they are probably just going to find people just buy the Apple TV elsewhere rather than suddenly change their mind and get an Amazon equivalent. As a prime subscriber I hardly use their prime video anyway as the selection is terrible.
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see who/what shows up in the Apple TV App Store. Even if Apple allows other transactional video providers, such as Google Play, Vudu, etc., to offer their video sales and rentals through Apple TV (thereby competing directly with iTunes), I doubt we'll see any of them choose to do so because Apple will demand a huge percentage of their revenues. That was apparently one of the main reasons we never saw Amazon come to Apple TV and only offer a non-transactional version of the Amazon Instant Video app for iOS.
It is crappy of Amazon to not at least offer a Prime Instant Video app for Apple TV if Apple will allow it (and I think they would). But that said, Amazon does support a number of platforms outside of Apple and Google. I watch their stuff on my TiVo.