Amazon’s ‘Firetube’ set-top box reportedly delayed

Chestnuts might not be roasting on an open Firetube this Christmas. Citing unnamed sources, The Verge reports that Amazon has decided to postpone releasing its so-called FireTube set-top box that the company is developing to be a rival to Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast as a way to deliver video content from the web to users’ television sets. Although Amazon had originally hoped to get the device out to the market in time for holiday shopping, The Verge’s sources now say that the company is considering delaying it until 2014. Major tech companies have been trying to chip away at the traditional television model recently by giving consumers more options for watching their favorite programs through their Internet connections instead of through pay television channels, so it certainly makes sense for Amazon to enter the market for set-top boxes at some point.