In a world where instant access is the key to everyone’s hearts, Amazon Prime is slowly cornering the market by offering a package of instant services that could slowly overtake the way we shop, stream and share all at a very fair
price. Check out what Amazon is up to with its quick shipping, original TV series, books and … flying robots!? Yes, flying robots. While free trials are still available, we say it’s time you found out all about Amazon Prime.
Free Two-Day Shipping
Amazon is already most people’s go-to when it comes to buying hard-to-find products – not to mention at the lowest price – and is much preferred to putting on pants and going to the store like the olden days. The only downside was buying several things at once and being charged shipping for each individual item. With Amazon Prime, that’s no longer an issue, as your subscription not only gets the package out in a swift two-day delivery, but it’s also free for millions of items.
And if you’re really in need of those neon hot pants you ordered showing up the next day, you can get actual overnight delivery on anything readily available to ship for only $3.99. Hot damn.
Unlimited Streaming TV and Movies
Now for the good stuff: streaming. Netflix has slowly won our hearts over the past years, getting us away from cable and closer to online streaming through our TVs, computers and mobile devices with one simple plan at $7.99 per month. Now, Amazon Prime offers a lot of the same streaming, including full seasons and new movies, only theirs is tied to all these other great perks and for only $79 annually, which is about $6.58 per month. Hmm.
Although its formatting seems a bit scattered and the content isn’t half of Netflix’s yet, there is a lot of new content available, along with cable television and older movies that Netflix doesn’t offer, and Amazon is working its way up the ladder with each passing month. By scattered formatting, we mean that individual seasons of the same show are spread out in the browsing window, whereas Netflix gives the viewer the entire show with a list of its seasons and episodes all conveniently packaged as one. But Amazon Prime is new, and they’ll take note in time.
Original Content
Just like Netflix has started doing its own original content, Amazon Prime is getting in deep this year with a number of its own during pilot season. Starting with their debut original series “Alpha House,” Amazon Prime aims to keep pace with Netflix and its “House of Cards” trend within its Instant Video.
In addition, Amazon Prime picked up the popular animated FX series “Archer,” five Fox TV series and is unveiling close to a dozen free, original series of its own. Working at original content for only a year, Amazon Prime is definitely a potential threat to Netflix, meaning that the red-bannered TV wizard will likely try to change up its strategy to stay ahead after flip-flopping with its service a couple years back. And the little green monster, Hulu, is also going to work a little harder to stay ahead, offering more free and original content to keep people on, as most subscribers won’t go with all three services and are less likely to stay with Hulu Plus over Netflix based on content for the same price.
Free Books
Real quick, members can get free books each month through Kindle First and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. The downside: iPads aren’t compatible with that service. Despite the Kindle app available for an iPad, the free book service offered by Amazon only works on their Kindle product. That is subject to change with enough complaints and Amazon’s continued interest in expanding, but it also helps move Apple-dependent folks away from those products, or at least avid readers who enjoy free shit.
Robots?
You probably saw it on the Internet and convinced yourself it was a spoof or UFO, but Amazon Prime is also looking to expand with Amazon Air, a tech-savvy robot aerial delivery service that the company hopes will get packages into customers’ hands in a matter of minutes, upping dependency on Amazon as well as loyalty. Currently under FAA regulation, Amazon hopes to make these UFO delivery boys a reality by 2015. Hello future, goodbye U.S. postal service. You’ll never leave home again.
No Minimum Order Amount
There is one thing that always gets my goat – being told that buying a pack of gum isn’t enough to be able to swipe my debit card, which is technically the same as cash since it’s linked to my checking account. Amazon Prime took the time to debunk that flaw in modern society and offers a no-minimum policy that allows you to buy whatever the hell you want no matter how small. You could buy pocket lint, if you so choose, and have it delivered for free in two days. Anyone selling pocket lint?
Free 30-Day Trial
If this all sounds too good to be a true and you want to test-drive the service yourself, Amazon is nice enough to offer a free 30-day trial. After that, it’s $79 each year, which again is less than Netflix and Hulu Plus streaming but with more services attached. Although there’s a rumor that the price will rise, especially with flying robots potentially in the picture, it could be beneficial to grandfather yourself in now and see if they reward your loyalty.
If you’re not into speed, convenience and affordability, you can cancel at any time. That’s assuming you’re not interested in what the future holds, though, and that you’d rather listen to vinyl while you call your friends from a rotary phone, or better yet a pay phone, whatever the hell that is.
