Neil Hughes
Internet retail giant Amazon is reportedly planning to preempt Apple's rumored springtime Apple TV refresh with an Android-powered set-top box of its own — Â and the device could go on sale as soon as next month.
There is no word on what features the device might ship with or whether Amazon has struck new content deals that go beyond the agreements currently in place for its Prime streaming service, according to Re/code. Word of Amazon's living room ambitions first surfaced last October with news that the company was readying a streamer, code-named "Cinnamon," for the holiday season.
At the time, it was believed that Amazon was planning to allow the box to stream movies, television shows, and music from Amazon's own cloud streaming services. The company was also said to be considering the ability to run games and third-party applications from content providers, similar to the way the popular Roku box operates.
Amazon is thought to have delayed the device's launch until this spring after Amazon senior management was "underwhelmed" with the product's direction and market fit.
Then, earlier this month, a report emerged placing Amazon in "early stage" negotiations with major content providers to add live television streams. Amazon later denied that report, saying it was focused on its existing Prime video service and new content from Amazon Studios.
If Amazon does launch such a device in March, it would enter the fray just weeks before Apple is expected to introduce a long-awaited update for the Apple TV. That update would bring new hardware, including a faster processor, and a revamped user interface alongside potentially major content deals.
Apple is thought to have been in negotiations with cable provider Time Warner to provide live and on-demand programming through the new box. It is unknown how the the surprise announcement of Time Warner's merger with Comcast could have affected those negotiations, as Comcast has a set-top entrant of its own.
Charles Martin
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43 Comments
Very tempted, if Apple decides to not release a proper refresh with a channel store (at the minimum) I'll dump my ATV in the bin and get something like this. The lack of channel/App store is an absolute joke, it would have been a piece of cake for them to roll it out years ago. Not as if the channel apps take up a lot of space, Apple could easily have set guidelines as to the design of each channel. Stop trying to sell us content Apple, leave that crap to the cable companies etc and leave them the choice of providing an app just as they do for the iDevices. Charge an extra £100 and make your money on the hardware!
Who's Time Warner? /s
And next week is MWC where Samsung and others are showing off new devices so I'm sure it will be lots of FUD and D&G for Apple. The media is in full Galaxy S5 hype mode. No doubt the new phone will be proclaimed the best "iPhone killer" yet and Apple stock will tank.
[quote name="saarek" url="/t/162132/amazon-aiming-to-take-on-apple-tv-with-march-launch-of-new-set-top-box#post_2475396"]Very tempted, if Apple decides to not release a proper refresh with a channel store (at the minimum) I'll dump my ATV in the bin and get something like this. The lack of channel/App store is an absolute joke, it would have been a piece of cake for them to roll it out years ago. Not as if the channel apps take up a lot of space, Apple could easily have set guidelines as to the design of each channel. Stop trying to sell us content Apple, leave that crap to the cable companies etc and leave them the choice of providing an app just as they do for the iDevices. Charge an extra £100 and make your money on the hardware![/quote] I wouldn't pay an extra £100 for an Apple logo. What's stopping you dumping your Apple TV in the bin now? I personally only require YouTube/Netflix/AirPlay. My biggest gripe with Apple TV is not apps or UI, but the crappy IR remote. Typing and Bluetooth are two areas I'd like to see Apple address with the new Apple TV. And no, a Bluetooth Apple keyboard on my coffee table is definitely not what I mean, nor the crumby remote app. I need custom dedicated hardware from Apple for this. Rest assured I still sleep at night, but Apple would do well to fix these issues.
I can see why they want to do this and for those without the Apple Eco System it might make sense but the timing might not be too good. I suspect /hope Apple is about to move from 'it's a hobby' to 'really serious' with the next update. It will be interesting to see what the new product offers from Apple. I love my Amazon Prime shopping account but I have never used the Amazon Streaming HDTV service other than once to see what it was all about. Even with FiOS 75 Mb/s it was not in the same league as Netflix on my Apple TV in quality or experience. In fact, I would like to see Amazon split the delivery Prime from the TV prime as I presumably am paying for something I won't use.