Chromecast streaming device, once for nerds, back as a TV plug-in, with Google looking to eat into sales of Amazon and Roku rivals
- When Chromecast first launched, users needed a TV and a phone or tablet to operate it. Now the streaming device is back as a plug-in like Amazon and Roku rivals
- It will use your Google search history to recommend content, and offers voice search which rivals don’t have. Still, Google is late to the party, analyst says
For the past several years, two of the hottest products during the holidays have been low-cost streaming devices from Amazon and Roku, often discounted down to around US$25 for end-of-the-year sales.
And often left out of the party was Google, which first launched its own unit in 2013, Chromecast. Initially selling for US$35, it was a product aimed at early adopters and serious tech nerds.
That is why Google’s latest announcement of a new US$49.99 Chromecast (available by October 15) was hands down the most interesting of its presentation, and the one most likely to end up in more consumers’ homes. Also announced last week were two new smartphones (US$499 and US$699) and a redesigned Google Home smart speaker with better sound, selling for US$99.
With the new Chromecast, Google can now compete in streaming effectively on the same playing field as Amazon and Roku, which each tout having 40 million customers for their streaming services.
The original Chromecast was a niche product. Unlike Roku and the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which plug into the back of the TV and produce a menu of streaming options, the Chromecast also plugged into the TV, but required a phone or tablet to find the shows and “cast” them from the handheld device to the screen.