E-commerce giant Amazon.com, which also provides streaming-video services via its Prime Video service and Fire TV device, plans to stop selling competitive products from Google and Apple.
The Google equivalent product is Chromecast, while Apple sells Apple TV. Amazon Prime Video is not offered on Apple TV or Chromecast.
Company reps said the move, which kicks in on Oct. 29, is designed to help avoid “customer confusion.” Amazon clarified that it will continue to sell products like Microsoft’s XBox and Sony’s Playstation, both of which support Amazon Prime Video.
One industry analyst told the BBC that Amazon is taking a “sledgehammer approach.”
Richard Windsor of Edison Investment Research said, “These days it is all about enticing users to join one’s community and then providing great digital life services so that they stay. This is why Amazon’s sledgehammer approach … is very likely to backfire.”
The Amazon announcement comes on the heels of Google’s recent release of the newest version of Chromecast. The Chromecast device plugs into a TV’s HDMI port and connects to a Wi-Fi network to facilitate streaming video. The company said it has sold 20 million units worldwide.
Along with the latest Chromecast, Google also announced Chromecast Audio, a similar device that streams music from cloud-based platforms. Both devices sell for $35.
