Can Amazon Rival Apple?

Amazon recently unveiled a new product hoping to draw customers away from ever expanding Apple. In a special debut, which media were invited to, Amazon debuted its Fire TV to compete with Apple TV last week in New York City. The company is marketing the product at $99 and claims it provides faster, more reliable service than similarly priced items. The device is about the size of a cd case and runs Google Android software. While the item's claims and presentation are impressive, it remains to be seen if the product provides any new advantages.

The item is priced the same as consumers, which initially dampens it reception in my eyes. There are already similar products on the market, what would draw consumers to Amazon's product? One of the main advantages it proposes it increased speed and functional performance than its competitors. I've used Apple TV before, the device runs acceptably fast and I found no problem with its performance either. Claims about speed and performance are not going to bring the average consumer to the Fire TV.

Yet, Amazon's Fire TV also offers TV streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. While these services require a fee to use, they still differentiate it between similar products. I don't find this is as a particular improvement though either. Many consumers already have these services and do not need a streaming device for their TV to enjoy them. The Fire TV also comes with free and purchasable games, yet most consumers play games on tablets or video game consuls

Overall, Amazon's release of the Fire TV confuses me. There are already similarly priced items available that offer many of the same services. Amazon may get some new customers, but I doubt the product will do that well. It doesn't differentiate itself enough from previous products to offer the same price. While the Kindle appears to be competing fairly well with the iPad, in my opinion the Fire TV will not compete with Apple TV.

-Det Beal

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/02/4811985/amazon-unveils-fire-tv-set-top.html#.Uz4O09xlNU0