Amazon's Apple TV Competitor Expected to Debut at April 2 Media Event - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Amazon's Apple TV Competitor Expected to Debut at April 2 Media Event

Following rumors of a March launch, it looks like April 2 will be the day Amazon introduces its Apple TV competitor, as Re/code notes that the company has sent out invitations to a "video business" media event for that date. The invitations feature a photo of a couch and popcorn, strongly suggesting that the event will indeed involve the rumored streaming video device, and Re/code's sources indicate that this will indeed be the topic for the event.

amazon_stream_box

The e-commerce giant has invited reporters to gather for an “update for our video business” in New York next Wednesday, April 2.

The popcorn and couch in the image give you a pretty good idea of what to expect, as does our previous reporting, which explained that Amazon has been preparing a Web-to-TV gadget for many months.

A recent report from TechCrunch indicated that Amazon's device is expected to be a dongle similar to Google's Chromecast, which plugs directly into an HDMI port on the back of the user's television and then connects to either a USB port or outlet for power.

Amazon's launch comes as Apple users continue to await the introduction of a revamped Apple TV. Rumblings had suggested Apple was considering a launch late last year, but nothing materialized. Newer rumors have suggested that Apple might make a March or April announcement ahead of a launch later in the year, but there have been no specific signs of an imminent event from Apple.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Has Now Unveiled Eight New Products This Month

Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:25 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping eight new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and now the AirPods Max 2 this week. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's...

Top Rated Comments

156 months ago
The more options for people to move away from cable/satellite the better.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleWarMachine Avatar
156 months ago
hurry Apple...:apple:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
156 months ago
The couch is quite ugly.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnnyturbouk Avatar
156 months ago
Thank you amazon, quite happy with my apple TV. Despite being an amazon 'prime member' I detested love-film, and am quite happy and content with my current iTunes/icloud set-up.

I suspect those not in a matrimonial union with iTunes-family may be swayed; personally, i do not see this as a viable alternative for my needs and usage.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartinAppleGuy Avatar
156 months ago
Ugly image lol Looks like something a school pupil would make.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
156 months ago
Never cared much for the Amazon Prime Movies. Nor do I want to buy any that weren't free. I only enjoyed watching past TV episodes but I won't be renewing this year since I don't buy that much from Amazon anymore.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)