The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things - Of seals and ships and sealing wax, of Amazon and TV sets! Finally, Amazon announced that it will hold an event on April 2nd to discuss "an update on our video business," making it clear that Amazon TV is on its way.
The invitations went out to members of the press on Thursday, hinting at a big Amazon event in New York City at 11 a.m. EST on April 2. The invitation doesn't leave much to the imagination. It features an awesome orange couch with a few stray pieces of popcorn on a seat that has clearly just been vacated.
"Please join us for an update on our video business," the invitation reads, hinting that Peter Larsen, vice president of the Amazon Kindle division, will be making an appearance at the event.
Although the invitation didn't offer up any more details, it seems pretty clear that Amazon will finally be releasing its video-streaming device, which for years has been known only as Amazon TV. Unlike Apple TV, Amazon TV is expected to be a USB dongle - much like Google Chromecast - rather than an actual, physical box.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Amazon would debut its video-streaming device in early April, so Amazon's confirmation doesn't come as too much of a surprise. Earlier in the year, reports hinted at a March release date, but as the month came ever closer to its close, it became clear that April was a more realistic estimate.
Even though the launch date is less than a week away, nobody knows much else about Amazon's video-streaming device. Its capabilities and exact price remain shrouded in mystery. Amazon is expected to offer special discounts and incentives to its Amazon Prime subscribers, but it is unknown exactly what form these incentives will take.
Competition in the video-streaming space is undoubtedly fierce, especially with Google's Chromecast costing just $35. If Amazon decides to go with a price tag closer to that of an Apple TV, it will have to offer up a lot more to customers than Chromecast does to remain competitive with Google's dongle.
Thankfully, Amazon will take us out of our suspenseful misery soon enough when it announced Amazon TV on April 2. Get ready to break out the popcorn, it's movie time!
