Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Why Amazon and Google just can't get along

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    #DeSantis2024 Teh One Who Knocks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    5280' Above Sea Level
    Posts
    256,044
    vCash
    10966
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Thanks
    23,810
    Thanked 113,085 Times in 59,902 Posts

    Drama Why Amazon and Google just can't get along

    By Jared Newman - Tech Hive




    For Amazon, this was a week of war and peace.

    On Tuesday, Google said it would cut off Amazon's Fire TV streaming devices from YouTube, starting on January 1. Google also immediately began blocking YouTube from Amazon's Echo Show smart screen device, marking the second time it has done so. The search giant said it was responding to unfair treatment by Amazon, which won't sell Google devices through its online store and won't bring Amazon Prime Video support to Chromecast.

    The following morning, Amazon made good on its plans to launch a Prime Video app on Apple TV. The new app, first announced back in June, is a full endorsement of Apple's platform, supporting 4K HDR video and unique tvOS features like Siri search and TV app aggregation. Amazon even released an app for the third-generation Apple TV, which was discontinued last year.

    Why such good news for Apple TV owners, and such bad news for Fire TV and Chromecast owners? I don't have any inside knowledge of either dispute, but I do have a theory: Whereas Apple and Amazon only compete in a couple of marginal areas, Amazon and Google increasingly threaten one another's core businesses. The beef between these two companies now runs much deeper than streaming video, which makes swift resolution hard to envision.

    It's all about business(es)

    Ostensibly, Google and Amazon run different types of businesses. The former uses search and other web services to sell ads, while the latter is an online retailer of goods and services. But as each company has sprawled into new ventures, they've started butting heads in an assortment of new ways:

    • Amazon's Echo devices are a direct assault on Google's core search business. Every time you ask Alexa about the weather, sports scores, or other information, that's one potential Google search or AdWords impression lost.
    • Google is spearheading a joint attack on Amazon's retail business with Google Express, which ships products from Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and other major retailers. A product purchased through Google Home is a potential lost sale for Amazon.
    • Both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa have deep ties to their makers' respective cloud computing services. Third-party developers, for instance, can get Amazon Web Services credits for building Alexa skills, or Google Cloud credits for building Actions on Google Assistant. Developers can also buy access to the same speech engines that power Alexa and Google Assistant for use within their own apps.
    • Amazon and YouTube have competed in live streaming ever since Amazon bought Twitch in 2014, reportedly snatching it from the jaws of Google. YouTube now runs its own game-centric live video service, though Twitch still dominates in viewership and money spent.
    • Then there's the obvious stuff: Chromecast and Android TV compete with Fire TV. Google's video and music services compete with Amazon's video and music services. The two companies even maintain competing versions of Android, with Amazon using Google's open-source code on Fire tablets, Fire TV streamers, and the Echo Show.

    At this point, it's easy to see why Amazon wouldn't want to support Google's products, and vice versa: Each company is using hardware to fortify themselves while attacking their rival's core business. Without some broad-ranging truce, in which each company agrees to treat each other's services equally and let consumers decide what's best, Amazon and Google would only be undermining themselves.



    Apple: The benign alternative

    By comparison, Apple isn't as much of a threat to either company. Whereas Amazon and Google sell cheap hardware monetized by services, Apple's core business involves selling superior hardware at a premium price. And although Apple's services business is growing, it doesn't have much overlap with the core offerings of Google and Amazon.

    On the search front, any web searches that go through Siri get handled by Google, which also serves as the default search engine on iPhones and iPads. Apple isn't trying to be a retail giant either, so you could imagine Siri one day allowing you to shop on Amazon or Google Express. Apple has also stayed out of the cloud computing business entirely, allowing Google, Amazon, and Microsoft to offer their own cloud services to app developers.

    And while Apple is planning a push into premium original video, that's not quite a zero-sum business like live game streaming, where creators tend to stick with one platform and bring their viewers with them. There's room for both Amazon and Apple to thrive, especially since video is just one facet of Amazon Prime.

    All of which means that Amazon and Google can safely invest in the Apple ecosystem, without fear that they're creating an existential threat. And given iOS users' tendency to spend lots of money, supporting Apple platforms is just good business.

    The result is a paradox: Although it's sometimes assumed that Amazon and Google want to spread their services far and wide across platforms, in this case they're locking each other out. And despite a reputation for closed platforms and walled gardens, Apple is the one that's open for business.

    Meanwhile, Roku must be cracking up, having never dealt with any of this drama to begin with.

  2. #2
    21-Jazz hands salute Muddy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    On the Waters of Life
    Posts
    47,246
    vCash
    9653
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Thanks
    25,971
    Thanked 12,316 Times in 8,172 Posts
    Fuck all 3 of them.

  3. #3
    Take Box B DemonGeminiX's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Bum Fuck Egypt, East Jabip
    Posts
    64,804
    vCash
    27021
    Mentioned
    25 Post(s)
    Thanks
    45,041
    Thanked 16,891 Times in 11,966 Posts
    You can still install native google play apps on amazon devices, you just have to install 4 framework files for the google play store first. It's not hard. So anybody with any sort of tech intellect can circumvent their shenanigans.


    Warning: The posts of this forum member may contain trigger language which may be considered offensive to some.

    Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it.

  4. #4
    Shelter Dweller PorkChopSandwiches's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    77,135
    vCash
    5000
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Thanks
    47,197
    Thanked 29,254 Times in 16,488 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX View Post
    You can still install native google play apps on amazon devices, you just have to install 4 framework files for the google play store first. It's not hard. So anybody with any sort of tech intellect can circumvent their shenanigans.
    Yeah, but they want the other 99% to have it as well






  5. #5
    Take Box B DemonGeminiX's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Bum Fuck Egypt, East Jabip
    Posts
    64,804
    vCash
    27021
    Mentioned
    25 Post(s)
    Thanks
    45,041
    Thanked 16,891 Times in 11,966 Posts
    Well, maybe it's time the other 99% stopped being lazy and learned something about computing, then they wouldn't have to rely on everybody else to just take care of it for them.


    Warning: The posts of this forum member may contain trigger language which may be considered offensive to some.

    Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it.

  6. #6
    Shelter Dweller PorkChopSandwiches's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    77,135
    vCash
    5000
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Thanks
    47,197
    Thanked 29,254 Times in 16,488 Posts


    My daughter wanted Kodi on here firestick, I told her go to youtube and figure it out...she did....great success






  7. The Following User Says Thank You to PorkChopSandwiches For This Useful Post:

    DemonGeminiX (12-07-2017)

  8. #7
    Basement Dweller Godfather's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Vancouver
    Posts
    16,820
    vCash
    13129
    Mentioned
    28 Post(s)
    Thanks
    4,305
    Thanked 6,770 Times in 4,009 Posts
    I love capitalism but god damn it's frustrating when companies do stupid shit that just catches consumers in the crossfire...

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Godfather For This Useful Post:

    PorkChopSandwiches (12-11-2017)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •