Google esti Youtuben käytön Amazon Echolla – Valmistelee Echolle kilpailijaa?

[FlyingAntero]

Google on estänyt Amazon Echolla YouTuben käytön vedoten palvelun käyttöehtoihin. Googlen näkemyksen mukaan Echo rikkoo jollain tavalla kuluttajan käyttökokemuksen. Amazon on luonnollisesti tapauksesta ihmeissään, sillä Amazonin mukaan Googlella ei ole mitään syytä estää palvelun käyttöä heidän laitteella. Kaiken taustalla saattaakin olla huhujen mukaan valmisteilla oleva kilpailija Echolle eli näytöllä varustettu Google Homen kaltainen laite. Nähtäväksi jää, mikä on todellinen syy Amazon Echon estämisellä. Toisaalta Google on aiemminkin käyttänyt viranomaisten mielestä kyseenalaisia kilpailukeinoja:

• Googlea epäillään jälleen Androidin määrävän markkina-aseman väärinkäytöstä
• Googlelle massiiviset sakot EU:lta

• Google Removes Access to YouTube from the Amazon Echo Show

Amazon and Google have been going back and forth for a few years now. They seem to not want to play nice with each other due to the large competitive overlap of their products and services, and in some case it’s resulted in a worse user experience for the end user. We see this conflict with products such as Amazon Prime Video, Google Home and more. This week, users found that their YouTube application was no longer working on the Amazon Echo Show as access to it was removed by Google.

This rivalry between Google and Amazon is nothing new and it’s something that has had a negative impact on users for years (though, at the same time, such competition likely had many unseen benefits). For example, the Amazon Prime Video application has never had support for Chromecast because Amazon wants you to buy their Fire TV Stick instead. This upsets Google and so they found a reason for them to remove the application from the Play Store. Thankfully it’s back now, but it still doesn’t have support for Chromecast.

Amazon holds a grudge too and not only refuses to sell the Chromecast on their website, but also refuses to sell the Google Home in their store as well. Searching for either of these two Google products shows Amazon’s alternative towards the top of the list, again a result of the overlap between both their products and services. While competition itself certainly pushes these companies to leapfrog each other with their respective endeavors, a sizable chunk of their customers would like to see Google and Amazon meet somewhere in the middle to make everyday services simpler and more seamless.

Now, Google says that Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates their terms of service and creates a broken user experience for the customer. Amazon is seemingly upset about it because they feel there isn’t a technical reason as to why Google did this, and that they did so without an explanation to Amazon or a notification to their customers.

• Google is building a smart screen competitor to Amazon’s Echo Show

Google is building a smart screen competitor to Amazon’s Echo Show

Multiple sources tell TechCrunch that Google is building a tabletop smart screen for video calling and more that will compete with Amazon’s Echo Show. The device could help Google keep up in the race for the smart home market after Amazon just revealed a slew of new Echos and as Facebook continues to work on its codename “Aloha” video calling screen.

Two sources confirm to TechCrunch that the Google device has been internally codenamed “Manhattan” and will have a similar screen size to the 7-inch Echo Show. One source received info directly from a Google employee. Both sources say the device will offer YouTube, Google Assistant, Google Photos and video calling. It will also act as a smart hub that can control Nest and other smart home devices.

Our sources say that Google previously was working on products with larger screens that would compete with full-sized televisions, but it’s now more focused on the Manhattan device. We’re told that the original target launch date was mid-2018. But due to the Echo Show there’s intense internal pressure to get this launched in 2017, though it may still end up released in 2018. That’s because there are a ton of moving parts to establishing the smart hub partnerships, plus it’s exploring the possibility of service partnerships with Best Buy Geek Squad and Enjoy for home installation.

Our sources say that the device will run a version of Android, making it easier for third-parties to build apps for it. One app the team is particularly interested in seeing run on the device is Netflix, though that’s not confirmed yet.

It’s unclear what the price of the device will be or what exactly it will look like. The image up top is just a TechCrunch-made mock-up based on the Echo Show. Google did not respond to a request for comment before press time, but we’ll update if we hear back. Google does have a hardware event on October 4th, though there’s no indication that we’ll hear more about this device then.

Why Google Needs A Smart Hub Screen
The inclusion of YouTube on the Manhattan device gives more clarity to why Google recently pulled YouTube off the Echo Show. At the time, Amazon told The Verge “Google has chosen to no longer make YouTube available on Echo Show, without explanation and without notification to customers. There is no technical reason for that decision”.

Google responded that “Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience”. The Echo Show didn’t have all the subscriptions and video recommendations YouTube may believe are critical. It seems Google is willing to sacrifice added reach for YouTube to protect its integrity…especially when its own similar device where it controls the experience is on the way.

There are plenty of other reasons for Google to launch a smart screen.

• It’s another way to get Google Assistant into people’s homes, which Google wants to become the voice operating system for your life.
• It’s a vector for Google’s video chat apps like Duo and Hangouts. The tabletop form-factor could be popular with kids and seniors who might be less comfortable with a phone or traditional computer, and would appeal families who want to see each other while catching up.
• It could allow Google to become the center of people’s growing array of smart home devices. Typically these gadgets require a hub or bridge that connects to ethernet or Wifi and then beams connectivity to the wireless devices, but having different hubs for every device can be annoying. A Google-made omni-hub that worked with many different partners could simplify set up, lock in Google as an essential part of the smart home, and compete with Amazon’s new Echo Plus hub.
• It creates a new surface for experiencing the company’s other products like Google Photos, which could get a growth boost as people see the device running as a digital photo frame and want to download the app powering it. This could also be a differentiator from Amazon since the competitor’s Prime Photos service isn’t nearly as popular as Google Photos

Essentially, there are few reasons for Google not to launch this. It already has Google Wifi units, Google Home smart speakers, and Chromecasts. But what’s lacking is a screen and smart hub. The Manhattan device would perfectly complement Google’s existing offering. Finally, a smart screen would help the company keep up with Amazon’s Echo team that seems hellbent on leaving Google in the dust.

 

[Stanley H. Tweedle]

Joo ei näin, vaikka lieneekö Amazon itse sen kummempi...

 

[HikinenM]

Google on estänyt Amazon Echolla YouTuben käytön vedoten palvelun käyttöehtoihin. Googlen näkemyksen mukaan Echo rikkoo jollain tavalla kuluttajan käyttökokemuksen. Amazon on luonnollisesti tapauksesta ihmeissään, sillä Amazonin mukaan Googlella ei ole mitään syytä estää palvelun käyttöä heidän laitteella.

Amazonin mukaan mitään teknistä syytä ei ollut estää palvelun käyttöä.

Voisiko syynä olla esimerkiksi että Echo Show ei sallinut mainoksia, siitä puuttui videosuositukset, kanava-tilaukset yms. Ei ihme jos sellaista ei katsella hyvällä. Kuvitelkaa vaikka toinen tilanne jossa joku pystyttää nettisivuston joka tarjoaa kaiken youtuben tarjonnan mutta jättää tekemättä kaiken millä Google voi tehdä rahaa.

 

[FlyingAntero]

Amazonin mukaan mitään teknistä syytä ei ollut estää palvelun käyttöä.

Voisiko syynä olla esimerkiksi että Echo Show ei sallinut mainoksia, siitä puuttui videosuositukset, kanava-tilaukset yms. Ei ihme jos sellaista ei katsella hyvällä. Kuvitelkaa vaikka toinen tilanne jossa joku pystyttää nettisivuston joka tarjoaa kaiken youtuben tarjonnan mutta jättää tekemättä kaiken millä Google voi tehdä rahaa.

Toisaalta on hieman outoa, että Echo Show päätettiin kieltää juuri nyt. Echo Show kuitenkin julkaistiin tovi sitten ja YouTube on toiminut sillä tähän asti ongelmitta.

• Google has disabled YouTube on Amazon's Echo Show

Google doesn't go into detail as to what elements are missing from Echo Show's YouTube experience, but it's probably something Google thinks is important on its end—maybe something to do with ads or video recommendations. Some will also point to Google's smart speakers and suggest this is Google's way of sabotaging Amazon. That's all unfounded speculation, though.

 

[Nerkoon]

Jos Google tekee samanlaisen laitteen ja estää palvelut muiden laitteilla, niin voi sitä monopolisyytteiden tulvaa...

 

[demu]

Kilpailisivatpa toisensa hengiltä. Olisi maailma parempi paikka.
Saataisiinkohan Apple ja Microsoft jotenkin samaan sotkuun mukaan?

 

[HikinenM]

Onhan se nyt aivan eri jättää tukematta alkujaan, kuin estää jollain tekosyyllä sen käyttö toimivassa laitteessa. Toki, jos syytteet mainosestosta yms. pitää paikkansa, niin esto on ihan validi.

Tuon mainoseston ym. löysin ihan lukemalla artikkelia, ei minusta ole syytös vaan faktaa. Esim. tässä:
Amazon's Echo Show can no longer show YouTube videos | TechRadar

Much like the original Windows Phone app, the Echo Show didn’t allow advertisements to be shown, cutting off a huge source of revenue for Google.



And it may go beyond that, as the Echo Show’s elegant simplicity resulted in culling some of YouTube’s features, such as recommended videos, subscribed channels, comments, and sharing.

 

[runboy93]

Google on yks pakollinen syöpä aivan kuin Java ja Flash olivat joskus...

 

[akse]

Eihän youtubea viitsi edes katsella mainoksilla? Pahempaa kuin TV nykyään..

 

[S@ber]

Kai se nyt on hiukka eri luokan esto, jos tuubi ei toimi tietyllä laitteella. Kuin että Chromecast ei pelitä primellä tai Amazon ei myy koko vehjettä. Prkl samsungin 2013 mallin smart tv pikku hiljaa kuolee pois kun appsien tuki loppuu. Tekohengitystä tietenkin chromecastillä ennen sopivaa olediä