Tech Drivers

More Apple products are coming to Amazon under a new deal

Key Points
  • Amazon and Apple reached a new deal that will expand the official Apple product offerings on the site.
  • Independent resellers will no longer be able to sell Apple products on the site without the Apple's authorization after Jan. 4, 2019.
  • There's one big exception: Apple's HomePod smart speaker will will not be available on Amazon.
Store shop assistants as Apple launches iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR sales in Russia.
Anton Novoderezhkin | TASS | Getty Images

In a new agreement between tech giants Amazon and Apple, shoppers will soon see a selection of the latest Apple products on Amazon.com, Amazon told CNBC in statement.

The agreement means the latest Apple products like the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max will be available on Amazon.

Amazon and Apple have a history of tentatively approaching deals with one another, careful not to give the other an undue advantage. Until last year, the companies were in a standoff over the Apple TV. Apple wanted Amazon to sell the product on its site, and in turn, Amazon wanted Apple to add its Prime Video streaming app to the device. Amazon stopped selling the Apple TV in 2015, which CEO Jeff Bezos later explained was to avoid confusing customers who would assume Amazon's streaming service would come standard on a device they buy on Amazon.

Now, you can find Apple TVs on Amazon, and the Amazon Prime Video app on Apple TVs.

Currently, many Apple products are only available on Amazon through third-party resellers and the prices and conditions vary widely. The new deal, which will take effect on Amazon sites in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and India in the next few weeks, will limit resellers of Apple and Beats products to those authorized by Apple. Independent sellers of Apple products will have their listings removed after Jan. 4, 2019, but they can apply for authorization through Apple.

Still, shoppers won't find Apple's smart speaker, the HomePod, on Amazon. Amazon doesn't sell the Google Home speaker either, and has a history of blocking potentially competitive Google products from its site.

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said the company "is constantly working to enhance the customer experience, and one of the ways we do this is by increasing selection of the products we know customers want. We look forward to expanding our assortment of Apple and Beats products globally."

An Apple spokesperson said in a statement, "We're working with Amazon to improve the experience for Apple customers on their site and we look forward to those customers having another great way to buy iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and more."

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