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Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

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Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#221

Post by fweespeech »

Artistry121 wrote: post #5

I don't think this move is in Amazon's best interests long term. Their competitive edge with Prime is that I go to them first because I assume they'll have what I want, at a fair price and the highest level of convenience. If they are no longer the "Everything Store" then they won't be where I go to for everything...

> If they are no longer the "Everything Store" then they won't be where I go to for everything...

They aren't the "Everything Store" and never were. It was a marketing slogan. They boot products from Amazon.com all the time.

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#222

Post by Spoom »

VikingCoder wrote: post #198
Spoom wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hell, until recently, you couldn't play Prime Video on Android at all without resorting to Flash trickery in the browser. (But, of course, you could play it on Fire OS devices, even though they're running a fork of Android.) Amazon really does not like Google. This is not a failure on Google's part, this is all of Amazon's own making in an attempt at product lock-in.

...I had Prime Video working on my Android phone a while back, but it no longer works. Is there a new, new way to get it to work that I don't know about?

Install the Amazon app, but not the Amazon app from Google Play, the sideloaded one directly from their site, and then do a bunch of convoluted stuff to install the Prime Video player within that app.

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#223

Post by lerxst »

I bought several cheaper Apple products, including an Apple TV, on Amazon because of my Prime membership. While the user experience is not the best for these products (especially the higher end laptops; how often is NEWEST VERSION updated?), it provides a way for Amazon customers to quickly purchase Apple products with a stored CC and take advantage of their Prime two day shipping. I am not going to boycott Amazon because of this, but it does make me question Amazon's leadership and decision-making. Now I think of them as the one stop shop for everything except for Apple products. Adding exceptions for products like this is a slippery slope.

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#224

Post by asteadman »

So, as a Canadian, where does this leave me? I have an amazon prime account (on amazon.ca), but I don't have access to Prime Video (because Canada). Are they seriously going to de-list chromecasts on amazon.ca because of the potential "customer confusion" of a service they don't even offer here?

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#225

Post by guelo »

zaphar wrote: post #179
guelo wrote: post #125

After considering a Chromecast and an Apple TV I went with Roku because the main services I want are Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. If Apple and Google are playing hardball against Amazon video this move only makes sense in a tit for tat battle.

How do get Apple and Google as the ones playing hardball here? Amazon is the aggressor here not Apple or Google.

How come Amazon video isn't available on Apple TV or Chromecast?

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#226

Post by elsewhen »

IgorPartola wrote: post #87
Artistry121 wrote: post #5

I don't think this move is in Amazon's best interests long term. Their competitive edge with Prime is that I go to them first because I assume they'll have what I want, at a fair price and the highest level of convenience. If they are no longer the "Everything Store" then they won't be where I go to for everything...

I have found them to be constantly more expensive on tools vs Home Depot and Lowes. I used to think that Amazon would pretty much aways give me the best price (+/- random sites that may or may not be shady), but when it comes to any type of tools that has not been the case. I have also found Costco to be often times cheaper for household supplies such as paper towel, etc. Amazon's main benefit is convenience, but the…

if you can find a seller in the marketplace (many of those still offer amazon prime shipping), that is not in your state, you can avoid sales tax. did you factor this into your price comparison?

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#227

Post by bagacrap »

[deleted] wrote: post #207
mortehu wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And with what provisos about selling through those apps Chromecast doesn't have any special connection to Google Play. Anyone can cast whatever they want. Amazon Prime Instant Video can already be cast, but the user experience is so bad that you probably don't want to.

[deleted]

Well they do charge you money for the device. I think in the long term the goal is probably more about connecting the internet to your living room (making that ubiquitous) which naturally means more YouTube usage which means more ads. They don't necessarily need a cut of every app's revenue.

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#228

Post by caryhartline »

hypocrt wrote: post #175

This is a trojan horse PR move to expose Apple's longstanding "customer confusion" argument for excluding competitive products (think Amazon MP3 downloads) from the App Store. If what Apple has been doing for years is legal, so is this, and Apple can't complain without exposing complete hypocrisy. In my view, Amazon wants to be forced back from this position in a precedent-setting way. This is Jeff Bezos's long-shot…

Apple does not comment on a story like this. If people want to buy an Apple TV, they will see that it's not in the Amazon store then likely go to apple.com.

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#229

Post by guelo »

zaphar wrote: post #119
danboarder wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have Prime but wish I could display it on our TV using Chromecast. The only way to do this is to cast a tab (desktop) or cast the entire device display (Android). It would be great if Amazon Prime Video supported Chromecast with a cast button like Hulu, Netflix, Youtube, Vevo, etc...

My wife was just complaining about this very thing. The solution to Prime's streaming issues isn't to ban the sale of Chromecasts it's to add Chromecast support to prime. This is a very odd choice on their part.

Everybody here is bashing Amazon but do we know why Amazon video isn't available on Chromecast or Apple TV?

Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices

#230

Post by gdulli »

verbatim wrote: post #56
gdulli wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while back I noticed my last Amazon purchase was in late December 2014. I set a goal of not making a single Amazon purchase in calendar 2015. I'm on track and it hasn't been difficult at all.

What do you use as alternatives, and for what categories of shopping?

It's case by case. For books I like to go shopping/browsing in physical stores, which is just more fun. And no waiting for shipping.

For video games/movies I follow RSS feeds of some deal monitoring sites and buy wherever I can get a good deal. Sometimes it's Target, or Best Buy, sometimes it's a random online retailer that's legit, but I wouldn't have otherwise considered. It's a competitive business and the same deals pop up in more than one place.

I used to get eye drops and vitamins on Amazon, the everyday price at CVS is higher than Amazon but they regularly go on sale at CVS and I do just as well by just timing the purchase. I'm in CVS all the time anyway.

I haven't made a major purchase like a TV this year but I'm sure I'd do fine if I waited for a specific sale or the general holiday season deals.

And sometimes I just don't buy something at all. I started out not wanting to buy from Amazon because of how they treat their employees and business partners. In the process of rethinking that I also realized I don't need to be buying so much stuff anyway. I used to throw in items so I'd qualify for free shipping on $25 (now $35) orders. Now I buy fewer things, only when I'm sure I'll really use them. Instead of building up a backlog of books I'll get to someday, I buy one when I'm ready to start reading it.

I bought a pair of $8 earphones from Best Buy and got free shipping for it alone, at Amazon it would have been $6 but shipping would have been extra unless I bought more. The cost of Prime amortized to my number of purchases would not be a good shipping rate. (I'm not interested in the other Prime benefits.)

I've found that dropping loyalty to any one retailer gives me the best overall experience and/or the best deals.

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