Google is discontinuing its Chromecast product line and has introduced a new, premium offering: Google TV Streamer for $99. The move is a surprise considering Chromecast’s popularity. But it’s also unexpected because, by shifting to high-end TV streamers, Google is validating Apple’s long-held strategy with the Apple TV 4K.
Apple TV 4K’s playbook now followed by Google
I’m not very acquainted with recent Chromecast sales figures, but even assuming a sales decline, Google’s move is still a big surprise for me.
For years, Chromecast has been one of the top streaming options for shoppers. However, cheaper and more capable smart TVs are likely a factor.
Abner Li writes at 9to5Google:
Google no longer believes people need or necessarily want cheap streaming devices. When the Chromecast came into existence in 2013, smart TVs had not yet proliferated. Now, every television has basic streaming and casting functionality.
As an Apple user, I have a fresh memory of years when the Apple TV was seen as far too expensive and niche, while Chromecasts found widespread consumer success.
Yet now Google is killing off the Chromecast and launching a new, higher end $99 TV streamer.
Apple played the long game with a high-end streamer
Apple has brought the price of the Apple TV 4K down a bit in recent years, but it’s still far more expensive than competing streaming sticks from Roku, Amazon, and formerly Google.
However, Google’s pivot makes me think Apple has simply been playing the long game with the Apple TV.
Ever since 2013 when the Chromecast first launched, there’s been a lot of pressure on Apple to offer a low-cost streaming stick. It never has.
Perhaps even back then, the company anticipated that most users would eventually rely on built-in smart TV software rather than buying a streaming stick. As a result, it focused on carving out a healthy chunk of the premium streaming box market.
While the Apple TV 4K has never set the world on fire with its sales figures, all indications are that the product continues to merit Apple’s continued investment—especially now that Apple TV+ is such a priority.
As much as I would love for Apple to just build its own TV set, the Apple TV 4K enables quicker tech advancement and greater flexibility for users. At $129, it’s premium for the market but still one of the lowest cost products Apple makes.
I don’t know if Google will find success with its Google TV Streamer, but clearly the company has Apple’s TV strategy in mind.
Years after the Chromecast became a hit, it’s time to move on, and that means following Apple’s example.
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