Google Chromecast is no more. By Tuesday presentation of his successor, the company commemorated the brand that launched 11 years ago with a new product that helped push broadcast to center stage in home entertainment. After Google TV Streamer took over the baton, it’s time to look back on 11 years of Chromecast.
Google’s casting-centric brand arrived on July 24, 2013 with the first generation Chromecast. The streaming stick was connected directly to the TV’s HDMI port and there was no remote. Instead, you launched the content using a mobile device or computer.
Best of all, the innovative gizmo costs just $35. This was when the Apple TV set-top box started at $99, and TVs loaded with apps were nowhere near commonplace. Even Roku’s same-generation Streaming Stick, which came out a year ago, cost $100. Oh, and it required a TV certified as “Roku-ready.”
When faced with more expensive options, the Chromecast was hard to resist. And that’s how many people felt: the stick sold out quickly. And it has lasted longer than most tech products, just as a company retired last year.
Engadget hailed the device. Our vision considered it as a recommendation from the heart “For anyone looking for an easy, unobtrusive way to put brains into their dumb TV.” The device was Google at its best: highly accessible, affordable and device-agnostic innovation.
There have been iterations over the years as competitors squeezed out competing products, and Google has responded with more modern features and redesigns.
The 2015 second generation model switched to a dongle form factor with a magnetized back and HDMI plug. That same year, Google introduced its music-focused sister device. Chromecast Audio (with a vinyl record-inspired look). Chromecast Ultra, the first blade in a higher-end model, with 4K streaming and Dolby Vision support, came out in 2016. A third generation model In 2018, faster speeds, Nest speaker integration… and not much else.
This decade we saw awkward branding Chromecast with Google TV (4K) In 2020 — now with a remote!! – and Chromecast with Google TV (HD) in 2022. In retrospect, the strange naming may now be seen as the company’s first step towards a rebrand.
This brings us to today as Google agrees to the streaming prodigy—at least under its old name. With Google TV Streamer smooth wedge shape and unique hazel color optionIt has a very different landscape than what we saw 11 years ago.
Chromecast, especially this innovative first-generation model, helped propel us into the streaming-first world that most of us have lived in ever since. This is especially true when considering the impact on competitors. Rockin’ second generation Streaming Stick From 2014, it dropped from $99 to $50 and dropped the “Roku Ready TV” requirement. Meanwhile, Amazon saw an opening and saw an opening Fire TV Stick (also in 2014) cost $39.
Without this first Chromecast model, it’s hard to say how this landscape might look different in later years.
It’s not too late to dip your toes into the nostalgia pool and pick up a Chromecast, as Google says the older devices will remain on the market until supplies last. Most importantly, the company’s promise of security updates and support remains the same, so if you’ve recently bought one of the devices that’s about to turn off, there’s no need to worry.
