Amazon is well-known for creating the largest online retailer and bookseller on the Web, but in recent years, it has become so much more to its consumers. Today, Amazon also has a large media empire of movies, music and books. When you couple that with its vastly successful Kindle line, you have a really compelling ecosystem, capable of competing with the Apples and Googles of the world. However, while Amazon is in competition with other tech companies, it has decided this week to partner with Apple, making its instant video app compatible with Apple TV’s airplay feature. According to techcrunch.com:
“Amazon rolled out an update to its Instant Video application for iOS which now introduces support for AirPlay, allowing users to stream movie and TV content from Amazon’s service to Apple TV. The update should be well received by current Apple TV owners, who have yet to see a native Amazon Instant Video app for Apple TV become available – though the update has them hoping that such a thing may not be too far off in the future.”
This is great news for Apple TV owners who may have been frustrated by their inability to view Amazon content on their big screens. It is also a good move for Amazon, since Apple TV is one of the most popular standalone set top box systems, with 13 million units sold. However, the love between Amazon and Apple may be short-lived, as Amazon is rumored to be working on their own TV set top box system. As reported by techcrunch.com:
“The move comes at a time when Amazon is rumored to be working on a set-top box of its own, according to reports from earlier this year. The box would also provide access to Amazon’s video services, including an Amazon Video on demand store. This, after the company failed in its attempts to acquire Roku, would position Amazon as an Apple TV competitor. However, Amazon has never been a company to shy away from making its services broadly available to those who don’t use its own hardware.”
Amazon is smart to make its services as widely available as possible, regardless of hardware. It’s a strategy that has worked quite well for Microsoft and Google. This move should help to lure more people into Amazon’s ecosystem.
