The Apple TV is back for sale on Amazon after a two-year hiatus — a move that was expected following Apple CEO Tim Cook’s announcement in June that Amazon’s..
The Apple TV is back for sale on Amazon after a two-year hiatus – a move that was expected following Apple CEO Tim Cook’s announcement in June that Amazon’s Prime Video app would arrive on Apple TV later this year. The two companies had clearly come to an agreement that benefitted their mutual interests – for Amazon, that meant getting its streaming video app onto Apple TV devices; and for Apple, it meant getting its streaming media player on Amazon.com’s retail site again.
Amazon a couple of years ago had stopped selling the Apple TV, as well as Google Chromecast, even extending that ban to third-party sellers. The company had said at the time that it wouldn’t sell media players that didn’t support its Amazon Prime Video application, in order to avoid customer confusion.
But ahead of Apple’s WWDC event this summer, Recode reported that Amazon and Apple were nearing an agreement to bring Amazon’s app to Apple TV. BuzzFeed later confirmed the news, ahead of Cook’s announcement.
The product listing for the Apple TV on Amazon was first spotted by 9to9Mac, which noted the 64 GB Apple TV 4K ($199) was added to Amazon’s site in the last couple of days. It’s also not a third-party listing, and can be added to shoppers’ carts now even if it’s “out of stock.” ( Appleinsider also found a 32 GB model available, but said it appeared to be from a gray-market seller.)
The re-emergence of the Apple TV also hints that the Amazon Prime Video app will soon be appearing in the Apple TV App Store, as previously planned. But although the newest version of the Apple TV has gone on sale, the Amazon Prime Video app is still ‘coming soon.’
