Fire TV price, release date, specs & features: Amazon adds online shopping service functionality

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Fire TV users will be able to go online shopping on Amazon through the device's very own shopping channel.

Geek Wire reports that users can shop using their Fire TV and Fire TV Stick through banner ads on the Fire TV home screen. It seems like TV shopping can buy items off Amazon, which ranges from Halloween candy, Fitbit devices, and even children's toys.

The outlet also noted that this may be the manifestation of what the company's CEO in a press conference 3 years ago, called as the "Amazon Doctrine."

"We want to make money when people use our devices, not when they buy our devices," said CEO Jeff Bezos, via another report by G. Wire.

Amazon's Fire TV box is priced at $99.99 each and the Fire TV stick sells at $39.99 and according to PC World, the Fire TV is the cheapest 4K video player available and the Fire TV stick is the cheapest major media streamer with a remote control. The outlet adds that the reason why these devices cost so little is because it allows you to go shopping through their e-commerce features, replete with Special Offers and more.

Additionally, the device's banner advertisements are just part of Amazon's plan. There is currently no shopping app for it which allows shopping and it can't buy items off Amazon through voice via Alexa, Amazon's virtual assistant.

A new feature for the Fire TV is in the works which the outlet explains is a "QVC-like shopping channel." Users who may want more information about a certain product may also possibly use Fire TV's X-Ray feature to know more about the item they're looking at.

In other news, Amazon removed its competition, the Apple TV and Google Chromecast from its online shelves. According to Apple Insider, the products were removed Thursday to increase Prime Video subscriptions and the sales of the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick appliances.

The company announced earlier this month that the removal of products is done in the bid to "avoid customer confusion." However, other devices that use Prime Video support are still in the web store - platforms such as Roku, Xbox and PlayStation.

"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," Amazon said in an email obtained by Bloomberg. "It's important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."