• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
TechAmazon

Once again, Amazon takes aim at Apple TV

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 17, 2015, 9:00 AM ET
Courtesy: Amazon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Following Apple’s recent upgrade to Apple TV, Amazon is sprucing up its rival video streaming devices, Fire TV and the Fire Stick.

The new devices, introduced Thursday, let users stream TV shows, movies, and music to their televisions. Amazon, Apple, and Google are all competing for the market, which is seen as a potentially important business that will give them control of a key source of household entertainment and data about viewing habits.

The new version of Amazon Fire Stick, a small device that resembles a USB memory stick, will come with a voice enabled remote control. Viewers can call up TV shows and films they want to watch by saying their title. They can also use the remote to ask Alexa, Amazon’s personal digital assistant, questions related to the weather, sports scores, and traffic.

The upgrade puts Amazon’s remote on par with Apple’s, which was introduced last week and works in tandem with Apple’s set-top box, Apple TV. Apple’s relies on Siri, its personal digital assistant, to answer questions.

The Fire Stick itself costs $40 while the remote control and the Fire Stick together cost $50.

Additionally, Amazon has introduced its latest version of Fire TV box that includes support for 4K ultra HD televisions, which have a higher resolution that the average HD TVs. The latest version is also faster at rendering video with 75% more processing power than its predecessor.

 

Fire TV will have 8 GBs of on-device storage for movies, TVs and games. It also includes a SD card slot so that users can store additional content.

Amazon (AMZN) is also upgrading voice controls for Fire TV. Previously, it was only available for finding television shows. But now, Amazon has added Alexa so that viewers can ask other kinds of queries, such as the weather or sports scores.

As with its new tablets, Amazon is betting that a lower cost alternative in media streaming will attract customers. Amazon’s Fire TV box costs $100, compared to Apple TV, which costs $148.

Lastly, Amazon is focusing on gaming as growing area for its Fire TV users with the introduction of a new gaming controller. The controller includes voice search as well as an audio jack for listening to games with headphones.

All three new devices will be available for pre-order on Thursday and will ship to customers in October.

As the holiday shopping season nears, it will be interesting to see how Apple (AAPL) and Amazon’s media streaming devices do. Apple TV recently slipped from third to fourth place in the rankings of the most popular streaming media devices because of the growth of Amazon’s streaming devices, according to Parks Associates, whose data is based on last year’s U.S. sales. Google (GOOG) also offers its own version of Amazon’s Fire TV stick, Chromecast.

For more on Amazon’s media ambitions, watch this video:

[fortune-brightcove videoid=4457513730001]

 

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

The $1 billion game that says AI can’t replace human creativity
MagazineGaming
The $1 billion game that says AI can’t replace human creativity
By Kamal AhmedJune 15, 2026
40 minutes ago
ufo
North AmericaPentagon
Pentagon’s third UFO release has fish-scaled potatoes and red orbs. Still no aliens
By Collin Binkley and The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
1 hour ago
roku
Big TechM&A
Fox is buying Roku for $22 billion to become the third-largest U.S. TV platform
By Michelle Chapman and The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
At Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026, Chris Bedi, Chief Customer Officer and Enterprise AI Advisor, ServiceNow; China Widener, Vice Chair and US Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry Leader, Deloitte; and Phil Wiser, Chief Technology Officer, Paramount, speak on a panel with Kristin Stoller, Fortune editorial director.
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
This tech CEO fired 80% of his workforce over AI resistance. Here’s what he’s learned since then
By Kristin StollerJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Eric Nguyen, Michael Poli, Stefano Massaroli, and Armin Thomas stand and pose for a photo
AIScience
Exclusive: The researchers who built AI-generated DNA just raised $50 million to reinvent biology
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
The SpaceX IPO marks a lopsided win for venture
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The SpaceX IPO marks a lopsided win for venture
By Allie GarfinkleJune 15, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
Personal Finance
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
3 days ago
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
Success
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
2 days ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
Economy
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
Energy
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
By Jason MaJune 14, 2026
20 hours ago
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
Investing
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
By Adveith Nair and BloombergJune 14, 2026
23 hours ago
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
AI
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
By Jacqueline MunisJune 14, 2026
23 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.