Apple and Amazon seem to be in good terms again. A listing for the Apple TV 4K showed up on Amazon for a brief period before being taken down, but not before several publications noticed. It apparently was added in the last couple of days.
Amazon Will Sell The Apple TV Again
This marks the first time Apple's set-top box has shown up in the online retail store since late 2015. Back then, Amazon pulled Apple TV products because it won't sell media players that don't support Amazon Prime Video, and the company didn't want to cause confusion among its customers.
Apple, however, has confirmed that Prime Video will be arriving later this year to Apple TV. At its September event, Apple reassured Apple TV customers that Prime was coming, but failed to give a specific rollout schedule. 9to5Mac first noticed the listing. BuzzFeed previously reported that Apple and Amazon had resolved their differences, and the release of Prime on Apple TV would mean Amazon would put the device back up for sale on its site.
Apple TV 4K: What The Critics Are Saying
The new Apple TV 4K has launched last Friday, Sept. 22, and has reportedly been relatively hard to find at Apple's brick and mortar stores ever since. Apple's website gives an estimated two-week shipping time for anyone who'll order online.
This is Apple's first 4K and HDR-capable set-top box. Reviews have been mixed. Some are impressed about Apple's overall ambitions to improve the living room entertainment ecosystem, while some found the price to be too high for what it offers. The Apple TV 4K costs $199 for the 64 GB model, but there's a $179 32 GB version as well. Only the 64 GB model showed up on Amazon, according to reports.
Note that the device will be sold and shipped by Amazon itself and not through a third party. Some customers were able to add it to their cart. While the page has been pulled, the listing strongly suggests that the Prime Video app is nearing its release. If a launch is planned in the next few days, both companies can take advantage of holiday marketing. That way, Apple can promote the device's 4K capability and Amazon Prime Video's smattering of 4K content as well.
This is all fine and dandy for the Apple TV 4K, sure — but what about the Chromecast? Amazon also stopped selling Google's streaming device the same as the Apple TV, and it hasn't put it back up for sale since for the same reason that it doesn't support Prime Video.
It's not clear, however, if either Google or Amazon is at fault here. In theory, Amazon could just make an app for Chromecast and that'll be it. Done and done. Is Amazon purposefully avoiding Chromecast so as not to cannibalize its own Fire TV streaming sticks? Perhaps.
Thoughts about Apple TV having Prime Video? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
