Amazon Will Ban Sale of Apple, Google Video-Streaming Devices • Hacker News Board

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

#311

Post by oaktowner » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:20 PM UTC

balls187 wrote: post #250

cracoucax wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except they're also a marketplace and they require their vendors to ban the same products. It's not an ecommerce strategy, they're very clearly using their huge leverage as the #1 ecommerce on the internet to attack their competitors and lure customers into their walled garden. I'm pretty sure in my country this will be forbidden by antitrust laws.

> I'm pretty sure in my country this will be forbidden by antitrust laws. On the surface, perhaps. However from the article, this is in response to seemingly anti-competitive practices by both Apple and Google's strategies regarding Amazon Prime on their TV devices. Apple and Google are acting like walled gardens, and so Amazon is retaliating. My guess is Amazons desired outcome is Apple and Google support Amazon Pri…

Not at all. There is nothing other than their own stubbornness that prevents Amazon from supporting streaming on the Chromecast. Google doesn't charge for it streaming, there is no "marketplace" from which to take 30%, etc.

They are open APIs that HBO, ESPN, Netflix and hundreds of other companies have integrated with...and Amazon hasn't.

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

#312

Post by ashark » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:21 PM UTC

jscottmiller wrote: post #94

slg wrote: post #27

>"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?

Guessing here, but I suspect Prime Video runs at a thin margin (perhaps at a loss) and is used largely as a gateway for purchasing or renting non-prime video content. Amazon could only sell that content on device by giving Apple a 30% revenue cut, which may be unacceptably high.

Considering that the primary purpose of the Prime video app on the PS3 seems to be to make you think you can stream something, then tell you you have to buy it right before you start watching, I'd say this is likely correct.

The "free" prime streaming seems to just be a marketing tool for getting you into their video-buying app. I'd be surprised if they have much interest in streaming anywhere where they can't push paid videos without having someone else take a cut.

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

#313

Post by endymi0n » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:21 PM UTC

I heard next they are trying out a mandatory Web Application Firewall on AWS that will shield their customers from exposing potentially malicious websites offering non-Amazon streaming devices...

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

#314

Post by technofiend » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:22 PM UTC

JoshTriplett wrote: post #173

yincrash wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe they required sideloading because of Google Play's restrictions on selling items / subscriptions without giving Google a cut.

Google does not restrict the ability to sell items through your app; that's Apple. You can implement a store in your app with purchases if you want, without using Google's payment system. And many such apps exist in the Play store. What you can't do in an app in the Play store is implement your own app store and load arbitrary apps. And Amazon forces you to install the full Amazon app including its app store, rather…

And their forcing you to install an app store shim that asks for ALL/ALL application rights is why they got booted to my "snoopy vendors only" Android profile: the one with zero human contact information. For those of us willing to put the time into it I'd love a cleaner way to containerize apps and firewall off personal information.

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

#315

Post by oaktowner » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:23 PM UTC

Merovius wrote: post #289

It'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 w…

This.

I'd gladly pay for a Prime product that was $10/mo cheaper and didn't include streaming. I never use Prime Video Streaming (precisely because Amazon won't enable streaming to Chromecast).

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

#316

Post by Johnny555 » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:23 PM UTC

funkysquid wrote: post #181

What are some good Amazon Prime (shopping) alternatives? Yearly fee for low cost or free fast shipping, with an inventory of pretty much everything?

https://www.shoprunner.com/ provides free 2 day shipping from a number of merchants (including NewEgg), and is free for American Express cardholders, otherwise it's $79/year.

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

#317

Post by awakeasleep » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:25 PM UTC

korzun wrote: post #286

awakeasleep wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You definitely can't do this, because you don't actually know the density of what you're measuring. Depending on how the caffeine was prepared, it'll be in crystalline flakes or chunks of varying sizes and configurations. Think of it like snow. You can't tell how much water went into a given volume of snow because you don't know if you're dealing with fluffy snow, wet snow, super fine powder snow, etc.

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

#318

Post by stock_toaster » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:25 PM UTC

funkysquid wrote: post #181

What are some good Amazon Prime (shopping) alternatives? Yearly fee for low cost or free fast shipping, with an inventory of pretty much everything?

From what I understand, Newegg has a kinda similar thing (Newegg Premier or something).

Edit: found the link http://www.newegg.com/neweggpremier

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

#319

Post by aioprisan » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:25 PM UTC

dangero wrote: post #282

guelo wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

There's nothing preventing Amazon from creating a video app for Apple TV, HBO, Showtime and many others have created similar apps for the Apple TV. This is Amazon choosing not to.

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

#320

Post by PaulHoule » Thu, Oct 01, 2015, 8:27 PM UTC

cwkoss wrote: post #42

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...

Totally agree. They are destroying their most valuable component of their brand, for a relatively weak one (Prime Video). I have Prime and prefer Netflix, because Prime Video still doesn't have a great selection.

This reminds me of the stupid stuff Comcast kept doing when they were trying to get approval for the merger with Time Warner Cable. It only hit them after the fact that they could sue Verizon over "skinny bundles" or buy TWC.

I see how Amazon loses from this but not how it will win.