Amazon pulled Apple TV from their store, so Apple should pull Amazon apps from their App Store

“Jeff Bezos plays hardball [and] bans Apple TV,” Alcaraz Equity Research writes for Seeking Alpha. “Apple’s decision to release a console gaming iOS TV device and its ambition to become a streaming video service provider are seen as threats by Amazon. Bezos therefore promptly exercised his prerogative to eliminate current and upcoming threats to Amazon.”

“I believe there is no such thing as retail store neutrality. The store owner has every right to exclusively sell its own products. It is in Amazon’s best interest to stop helping Apple and its third-party partners sell the new vastly improved Apple TV 4 units,” Alcaraz writes. “Amazon knows all too well that Apple has enough cash to eventually pay what Hollywood is demanding for it content library. Banning the Apple TV is Amazon’s little way of further delaying/limiting the dissemination of a rival hardware/service.”

“Amazon’s ban is going to hurt sales of the Apple TV to the point that it will continue to lag behind the Fire TV. It is an intentional attack specifically against Apple TV,” Alcaraz writes. “Bezos made the ruthless preemptive strike by banning the Apple TV. He did this knowing he is risking a retaliatory ban for Amazon’s Prime Video iOS app. It is still up to Tim Cook if he will really retaliate against Amazon. Amazon has a few apps on the iTunes App Store.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: In the U.S. App Store, currently, Amazon has the following apps:

• Amazon App
• Amazon Video
• Amazon Music with Prime Music
• Amazon Local
• Kindle
• Amazon Photos
• Amazon Prime Now
• MYHABIT
• Amazon Fire TV Remote
• Amazon Alexa
• Amazon Seller
• AmazonFresh
• AWS Console
• Amazon Register
• Amazon Cloud Drive
• Amazon WorkSpaces
• Amazon WorkDocs
• Amazon Local Merchants
• Amazon AppStream Basic Client

There’s an awful lot there currently being offered to the world’s best-heeled smartphone and tablet users that Amazon has now put at risk. Judging by the amount of apps, Amazon certainly seems to regard iOS users as very important.

So, what should Apple do, if anything? If Apple did pull any of his apps from the App Store, would itty bitty bald baby Bezos go whining back to the DOJ as he is wont to do? If so, on what basis? Apple could always point to Android’s market share (while ignoring that iOS has cornered the market on the valuable customers) to show that there is no antitrust issue. Or would it be best for Apple TV to simply beat Amazon’s offerings to a pulp all while continuing to offer Amazon’s apps via the App Store?

Regardless of what Apple does, Amazon had better be careful lest they gain and cement the reputation as “the everything store that doesn’t offer everything.”

SEE ALSO:
By banning Apple TV and Chromecast, Amazon shows what it means to be a monopolist – October 2, 2015
Amazon to ban sale of Apple TV, other streaming devices – October 1, 2015
Apple TV and voice control: What Siri does that the others don’t – September 18, 2015
With the all-new Apple TV, Apple changes the game, yet again – September 14, 2015
What Apple got right in Apple TV’s user interface – and what needs work – September 11, 2015
New Apple TV has the potential to do for television what iPhone did for mobile phones – September 11, 2015
Apple preps to conquer living room with all-new Apple TV – September 11, 2015
Hands-on with the all-new Apple TV – September 10, 2015
Gruber: Apple TV will define how all TVs will work in a few years – September 10, 2015