Streaming on a stick

Some sensitive souls simply eschew Amazon entirely, citing the ever-expanding riches of Jeff Bezos, the impact of its online operation on traditional retailers, its record on wages, and tax minimisation strategies which saw its three local entities achieving a combined tax bill of just over $20 million in Australia for 2018 — on revenues of more than a billion dollars, according to the ABC.

Then again, many love Amazon: it helps them get what they want; it delivers fast; it’s invariably price-competitive; its website is highly efficient. And of course it makes its own branded products — the Alexa Echo smart devices and speakers, its range of Fire TV sticks, and so much more… in the US, indeed, the company actually has more than 130 private-label brands, plus a great many more which are exclusive to the Amazon marketplace.

Even the most devoted