Aww, I was hoping more people here would defend the move. (I really enjoy watching people do mental gymnastics.)
Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
281–290 of 545 posts
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#282Earlier quoted context omitted.
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?
Yes could this move be an attempt to force Apple to allow the Prime app on the Apple TV? I've always wondered who: Apple or Amazon is stopping Amazon Instant from appearing on the Apple TV.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#283>"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," Amazon said in the e-mail. "It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion." Google and Apple now both have open SDK's for creating streaming apps for their devices. Isn't the the fact these devices don't "interact well with Prime Video" entirely Amazon's fault?
"Google and Apple now both have open SDK's for creating streaming apps for their devices." And with what provisos about selling through those apps? This is not a technical issue. Amazon just doesn't want to give up 30% of GMS (which would be an even higher % of its margins) on digital media.
But Amazon already doesn't support purchasing in their iOS apps why can't they make an app but do the same on Apple TV?
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They are destroying their most valuable component of their brand, for a relatively weak one (Prime Video). This is why it almost seems like Amazon's Google+ moment: one underperforming product area somehow manages to convince leadership to change the company's underlying principles in its advantage to the long-term detriment of overall brand perception. Edit: 32 points in 19 mins for this comment. I really hope som…
Ditto, though here's the problem with amazon: buying apple stuff on there is a shit experience. Go there right now and type macbook pro in the search. You'll get a page of results with these top results: Apple MacBook Pro MF839LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop with Retina Display (128 GB) NEWEST VERSION Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop Apple MacBook Pro MJLQ2LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop with Retina Display (NEWEST VERSION)…
That's not the point. Who cares if it's expensive or confusing. They are banning products that are competing with their own products.
Amazon is simply a store for majority of the people who shop there.
If Google banned Amazon from search results you would probably be outraged.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#285This 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…
That doesn't make any sense given the way Amazon has treated the Android ecosystem for years now.
This is just the most blatant, anticonsumer attempt they've made so far to forcibly leverage customers into the Fire ecosystem.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
It came to a close a long time ago. Amazon refuses to sell many legal products, eg caffeine powder and anything with the confederate flag.
Just in case anyone is interested in caffeine powder (interesting because it sublimates) do yourself a favor and don't order it. The smallest orders available online are enough to kill an elephant, and you need a $500+ scale to dose it accurately enough to keep a human from overdosing. And while most human overdoses will be uniquely unpleasant but not lethal, there is definitely the potential for a lethal dose if som…
> you need a $500+ scale to dose it accurately enough
Or you can just get a super small 0.25 cent plastic scoop that amounts to normal dose.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdotal, but I recently needed a drill and couldn't wait for Prime shipping. Home Depot was charging $15 more, but they price-matched Amazon.
Here's an example: http://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-P882-Lithium-Ion-Impact-Driver/d... - $155 http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Dri... - $150
For a Ryobi, it'd make sense that Home Depot would be cheaper since anyone selling it on Amazon is a reseller; Ryobi is sold exclusively by Home Depot in the US.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#288>"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," Amazon said in the e-mail. "It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion." Google and Apple now both have open SDK's for creating streaming apps for their devices. Isn't the the fact these devices don't "interact well with Prime Video" entirely Amazon's fault?
"Google and Apple now both have open SDK's for creating streaming apps for their devices." And with what provisos about selling through those apps? This is not a technical issue. Amazon just doesn't want to give up 30% of GMS (which would be an even higher % of its margins) on digital media.
Google does not take a 30% cut of all content sold through apps on Google Play. On Android, the in-app purchase rule only applies to content that can only be consumed via apps (so not Netflix, Amazon, etc.).
And even on iOS, Amazon still has video apps, they just don't allow you to buy or rent directly within the app: https://itunes.apple.com/app/amazon-video/id545519333
There's nothing stopping Amazon from supporting Apple TV or Chromecast, except itself.
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#289It's not only about non-prime-customers either. I am a prime customer, but I don't use the video streaming, because amazon is a retailer for me. I go there to buy stuff and I use prime to buy stuff cheaper (and more). It's bad enough that they actually force me to buy the video streaming if I want the cheap and convenient buying (which, incidentally, is such a turnoff, that I won't be a prime customer in the future which will pretty much kill my amazon buying habbit).
Re: Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices
#290Amazon can absolutely do this (but I think it is a slippery slope, possibly a sign of some bad changes ahead at amazon. They really should be neutral about the products listed on their site) but the reason they gave is kinda ridiculous [1]. I have a hard time believing the enough people don't know the difference between Prime & Netflix to make this a legitimate reason to stop selling Chromecast and Apple TV [1]: Over…
People have raised this issue before, but it hasn't been taken seriously: If Google can't show its own products ahead of others in the Google search, why can Amazon show its own products ahead of all the other products on its store on its front-page?
IANAL, but probably because Google has more of a monopoly on web search than Amazon does on online shopping.