The truce that we all longed for
Amazon and Google have finally managed to patch things up
After a long tiff between the two tech giants, both the companies have managed to sort their differences, and it is all in the well being of the end consumer. About a year and a half ago, Google pulled the YouTube app from Fire TV products. This definitely annoyed users, considering they were just innocent bystanders in this fight between the behemoths. Additionally, Amazon Prime Video was not supported with Google’s Chromecast, of course, that is now changing. Not just that, Prime Video will also be widely available on Android TVs, so rejoice all you Android TV users out there.
According to Amazon, the YouTube app will be available on the following devices: the Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, and the Fire TV Cube. Before this, all the users were forced to use a workaround, using a web browser to watch any content from YouTube. But with the official app release, they’ll be able to download it from the app store and also use Alexa voice controls for added convenience. Along with the regular YouTube app, Amazon has also promised YouTube Kids support. It’s worth mentioning that the Amazon Echo Show devices still don’t have support for an official YouTube App, which was also excluded when Amazon and Google first announced the deal earlier this year.
On the Google side of things, the Prime Video app for iOS and Android will now work with Chromecast devices. Same with Android TVs, the Prime Video app which was earlier not available to download on most Android TVs other than the Nvidia Shield, will now be available to download on compatible Android TVs.
You must be wondering why the childish tiff between such big players?
It all started with Amazon barring the sale of Google’s Chromecast as it would have cannibalised the sales of their Fire TV products. Ergo, they decided not to sell the products which are in direct competition with their products. This had to trigger a response from Google, and it did. Google decided to stop supporting their app, YouTube from Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo devices. But this battle goes much beyond this. Both the giants have been trying to get into each other’s space in order to expand. Google wants to get a bigger piece of the shopping pie, being the place where people come and search for whatever they are looking for. Whether you are looking for a shirt or a new smartphone, Google wants you to come and search for it on Google rather than on an Amazon. At the same time Amazon has been making serious efforts to get into the video business. With the acquisition of Twitch, a live streaming video platform, Amazon was aiming at entering the market that Google’s YouTube has dominated for as long as we can remember. The effort doesn’t end there, Prime Video obviously competes with YouTube’s movie rental services along with its YouTube Originals.
While, we appreciate them for sorting out their differences and putting an end to all the bickering, how long do you think will they be able to put up with it? It is pretty evident that in a fight between such big brands, it is the customer who ultimately suffers most. Have they started to feel like they are too big and perhaps taking their customers for granted for a petty fight? Competition is good, but only as long as it is healthy and consumers aren’t treated as pawns in a fight between giants.
