Amazon Plans to Stop Selling Apple TV and Google Chromecast

[dgstorm]

Perhaps Amazon is trying to fortify their wall of content against competitors Apple and Google. Amazon supposedly sent out a memo to all of their merchants indicating they will ban the sales of the Apple TV and the Google Chromecast effective October 29th. New listings for any version of these devices will no longer be permitted on Amazon.

For some reason, Amazon is fine with Roku, Xbox and PlayStation. Of course, they will continue to sell and push their own Fire TV as well. Amazon's "justification" for this action is that it wants to sell living room devices which are fully compatible and optimized for Amazon Prime Video. Amazon said in the email, "Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."

Currently, Chromecast and Apple TV owners can't purchase movies or TV shows directly from Amazon's digital store. Amazon has refused to share a percentage of content sales to Apple or Google. It looks like Amazon is taking the development of their own content ecosystem to a draconian extreme, and adopting an Apple-like "walled garden" strategy. Of course, one could argue that they are simply adopting to the harsher profit sharing stances of Apple and Google.

What do you folks think? Is this a wise move on Amazon's part, or will it hurt their reputation? Will this hurt the sales of the the Apple TV or the Chromecast?

Source: Amazon to Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Apple TV and Chromecast will be just fine. Anyone who wants one will still buy one. They'll just go elsewhere.

I think the Chromecast thing is kinda funny though. Don't the developer of each android app have the control over whether that app is compatible with cc? Wouldn't it be Amazon's dev team that's responsible for the app not working with cc? Maybe I'm completely mixed up, but that was my understanding.

 

[cr6]

It certainly won't hurt Amazon. I don't understand why the newer versions of these two devices don't come stock with the Amazon Prime app, but you can still side load them can't you?

 

[cynkrzy]

Google wants you to pay for their streaming content, Amazon their own. So not too surprising.

Amazon recently killed the Amazon app on my Google TV Box.

Sure wish someone would create a Android device like the NEXUS that supported a full browser and all the other great Android apps.

I almost bought a NEXUS player until I read they may kill it off and it won't be supported.

Sheesh.

 

[Powarun]

Well that may hurt them. Chromecast more than Apple TV, just thinking of if I was an average consumer for technology, and I was looking at a chromecast, the Fire TV stick seems more attractive, seems to be the same thing with Amazon prime services, which seems like a better deal than Google Play's offering.

Though what won me over was that the Amazon Fire TV had a dedicated slingbox app that I didn't have to cast from like my phone, unlike chromecast and Apple TV. Then the fight of the Amazon vs Google app store, and amazon won because well Plex was there and I could use prime video with my prime subscription, which was decent to compete with Netflix. And as I think of it, the ONLY game changer would be what could stream NFL games live. True the slingbox does that, yet the interface is very laggy by nature.

 

[johnomaz]

Very anti-competitive. Amazon refuses to let those devices stream Amazon Prime content and then is banning them because they can't stream it. There will be a lawsuit because of this. Meanwhile, if I decide to get a new Chromecast, I'll get it from Target or something since you know, they are available pretty much everywhere.

 

[shockracer]

Hurt feelings much Amazon?

Would be hilarious if Android stopped licensing the Amazon devices.

 

[pc747]

Perhaps Amazon is trying to fortify their wall of content against competitors Apple and Google. Amazon supposedly sent out a memo to all of their merchants indicating they will ban the sales of the Apple TV and the Google Chromecast effective October 29th. New listings for any version of these devices will no longer be permitted on Amazon.

For some reason, Amazon is fine with Roku, Xbox and PlayStation. Of course, they will continue to sell and push their own Fire TV as well. Amazon's "justification" for this action is that it wants to sell living room devices which are fully compatible and optimized for Amazon Prime Video. Amazon said in the email, "Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."

Currently, Chromecast and Apple TV owners can't purchase movies or TV shows directly from Amazon's digital store. Amazon has refused to share a percentage of content sales to Apple or Google. It looks like Amazon is taking the development of their own content ecosystem to a draconian extreme, and adopting an Apple-like "walled garden" strategy. Of course, one could argue that they are simply adopting to the harsher profit sharing stances of Apple and Google.

What do you folks think? Is this a wise move on Amazon's part, or will it hurt their reputation? Will this hurt the sales of the the Apple TV or the Chromecast?

Source: Amazon to Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

Liking the fact you posted this story as I read about it earlier, not that Amazon is playing crybaby and taking their ball and going home.

Despite the Nexus being awesome for kodi my go to is still roku 3. Why?

Because it works with multiple services. They are not picking and choosing they are just opening up the device to be used. Though the interface may not be as nice it smooth as the other I am able to like past that.

My advice to Amazon is make a better product and service and people will choose you. Restricting other services will not bring more people to your product.

They just mad because people didn't buy their 3D fire phone.

 

[Caesars]

Going to laugh when Google takes the amazon app off of the play store.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[Jeffrey]

It's not going to hurt Amazon, and it certainly won't hurt Google or Apple. Amazon is just inconveniencing their customers by forcing them to go elsewhere for the product.

 

[shockracer]

Going to laugh when Google takes the amazon app off of the play store.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

That would suck for me but I would understand there reason for it.

 

[akhenax]

Can Google force Amazon to not sell Android based devices that are Amazon centered?

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Can Google force Amazon to not sell Android based devices that are Amazon centered?

Not really. Android is open-source. That means they're basically free to use it how they want. Worst Google can do is deny them access to gapps, which they've already done. No official Play Store support on fire devices. Amazon appstore only.