Amazon Playing Hardball on Apple TV App
Even though Amazon has previously hinted at making a Prime Video app for the Apple TV, don’t hold your breath for it to appear anytime soon. When asked at this year’s Code Conference why Amazon doesn’t sell streaming media boxes from Apple and Google, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, “When we sell [streaming] devices, we want our player — our Prime Video player — to be on the device, and we want it to be on the device with acceptable business terms.” As many have suspected, there appears to be some concession Amazon wants from Apple before releasing an Apple TV app. What that could be is unknown; Apple does require a 30 percent cut of sales made through apps, but Amazon could easily circumvent that by requiring users to sign up for Amazon Prime outside the app.
I have a somewhat older LCD TV that has an Amazon "app". It predated Amazon having a media player. The TV had an Amazon button that opens a side panel on screen, or I can open a full screen for selection. The same TV has a Netflix button and M-Go button. Do any of the newer smart TVs have Amazon capability?
I would assume so, since our five-year-old Panasonic TV has an app that works with Amazon Prime video. But it's certainly worth checking specs on any TV you're considering.
I bought a Vizio TV a few months ago, and not only does it have an Amazon app, but it has a shortcut on the remote! It's what I use to watch Amazon content.