Google Chromecast Leapfrogs Apple TV as the Aging Media Player Loses Ground to Rivals

[rGiskard]

I think it's time for Apple to add a second ATV to the lineup. Offer an ATV for $50 that is good for streaming. Drop an A8X in the ATV+ and open it up to the App Store for games, sell it for $125.

If the plan is to simply keep it at $100 and offer no App Store access, then Apple should just kill it and focus on improving some of their other weak areas.

 

[Lennholm]

Not surprising. I'm still waiting for whatever Steve Jobs said he "cracked" with television. The ATV certainly isn't it. I use it to stream my iTunes stuff, but that's about it.

I wouldn't be surprised if his "cracking" was the idea to make a wireless streaming-only Apple TV so tiny, in the form of a "stick", that you plug in directly to the HDMI port of your TV (or anyone elses). And while Steve and Apple sat on what they believed to be a revolutionary idea that no one else would think of their competitiors leapfrogged them leaving them absolutely befuddled.

 

[Moyank24]

My parents bought a Chromecast and I was able to set it up with my Mac and test it out without a hitch. There isn't very much propriety usage of a Android or PC device that I see that is needed by being a mac user. Everything seems to run smoothly using Chrome Browser. When you install the Chromecast Software onto your Mac, a new button option appears on the browser bar that lets you "Cast" your screen or youtube videos onto your tv directly from computer. The reason I wasn't a huge fan of the unit is the simple fact that it's reliant of having a device (smartphone, computer, tablet available in order to make anything happen. This is where AppleTV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV win in my opinion. You just turn them on and start using them.

I purchased an Apple TV last week because I was tired of waiting for the next best thing from Apple in this category. I was simply looking for the best option to play videos that I've downloaded onto my computer and onto my tv screen without having a long HDMI cable going across the room. The Apple TV solves this issue for me and that's all I need. I don't have any subscriptions to HULU or Netflix, or HBO, etc. It's nice that these other apps are available but I don't find myself wanting to use them for the time being. Now if Apple can just open up their API and allow 3rd partiers to get in and also end the restriction of only play files from your iTunes library without using Beamer/Airplayer, all would be happy.

You can play downloaded videos using the chromecast also. Just open the video in a tab (using command + O). Then cast. Of course, you have to control the video (in terms of pause/play/etc.) from your computer instead of a remote, but it's easier than having to dump everything into iTunes to watch on an ATV IMO.

 

[Anuba]

I bought an ATV recently and it happens to suit my needs perfectly. I use it pretty much strictly as an AirPlay receiver for iTunes, Plex and Spotify. An AirPort Express that handles both audio and video, basically. I'd buy another if they upgraded it with 802.11ac and a stronger processor. It's not exactly snappy and responsive. That spinning wheel... ugh. Oh, and volume control would be nice.

As a standalone it's kinda useless. It ships with very little localized content - two Swedish TV channels and the rest is all baseball, American football, wrestling etc. I don't like sports to begin with and it doesn't help that the sports channels feature sports that are about as relevant to Europeans as Martian cricket.

 

[nebo1ss]

Indeed. The Chromecast is a quarter of the price of an Apple TV, but does a quarter of the features.

I own a Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and an Apple TV 2nd gen. I use the Fire TV for Plex, but whenever I want to watch something on HBOGo or Showtime, I have to switch to the Apple TV. I rarely use the Chromecast because I don't want to control my content by searching for it on my phone and casting it to the TV. A dedicated remote is a deal breaker and everyone who's ever wanted to unwind at the end of the day with a show knows exactly what I'm talking about. That being said, if the Apple TV were to get an App Store with Plex - it would certainly be my player of choice.

I got rid of my Apple TV and use either Chromecast or the smart tv capability of my set. The idea of searching for apps on the phone is easily overcome all apps that relate to my chromecast are in a single folder on my iphone. I have a media server with some 400 Movies and 600 TV shows, an App like Plex is important and ATV does not support this natively on the Apple tv. The fact that in the UK they still do not support Iplayer, 4OD and ITV player so many years after launch is just unbelievable.

 

[paul4339]

... The reason I wasn't a huge fan of the unit is the simple fact that it's reliant of having a device (smartphone, computer, tablet available in order to make anything happen. This is where AppleTV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV win in my opinion. You just turn them on and start using them.

This. using a computer, finding your media to display on your browers, then streaming it to your TV/display, just doesn't feel right. An appliance seems much better.

.... Now if Apple can just open up their API and allow 3rd partiers to get in ...

Agree. They have to make it into a real platform where 3rd parties can make stuff to add value (apps, etc), not just a media viewer... i think their focus is just releasing one product at a time.. and right now it's the Apple watch.

.

 

[iPadCary]

... finding your media to display on your browers, then streaming it to your TV/display, just doesn't feel right.
An appliance seems much better.

Absolutely in 100% agreement.

Yes, Roku is currently the BMOC, but I'm still holding out hope that
the new AppleTV STB, when it finally does arrive, will blow it,
along with everything else, clear out of the water ....

 

[rdlink]

I have the chromecast, ATV, and the new Fire TV stick and price not withstanding, chromecast is my favorite hands down.

The ability to just cast from an open tab on my Mac put it over the top for me. It's a feature I use daily.

I'm assuming that's from Chrome, which I refuse to use?

 

[aperry]

I'm assuming that's from Chrome, which I refuse to use?

Haha. Yes, it's totally unrealistic to ask people to use the current most popular browser in the world which is freely available on just about every platform. How dare they! I'm sure Apple would never restrict a user in this way....

 

[tbone7467]

don't expect every format to be compatible with every other format, not going to happen.

I don't know if that is true. some things are proprietary but there is a lot that isn't. Boxee and popcorn hour did a good job about supporting a wide range of formats.

to me the iPhone and the iPad are positioned perfectly to replace the appleTV. If they refine the hey Siri feature a little more then we would really have something.

 

[Keirasplace]

Myself, just stream everything with DLNA straight from my phone (Iphone) or my computer (direct 100MBS link but I could just buy a cheap WIFI dongle) (with Serviio), or Network hub with media attached.

I've got 3000 films (only the ones I like) and 10000+ episodes of hundreds of shows available on my own NAS setup, don't really need whatever ANYONE is offering. I've only watched probably 5-6% of those episodes (if that), so I've got a lot of TV series choice for my evenings.

Takes 10 Terabyte (20 T with backup) of storage for this but hey, whatever it takes ;-).

But, I'm a bit more tech litterate than your average shlub so hey, what would I know.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

All those mentioned just leave the user wanting a more

----------


Google it.

We're talking about capable phones right? So I think all of them fits the bill.

 

[samcraig]

All those mentioned just leave the user wanting a more

----------


Google it.

The onus is on you since you stated it. Please provide some facts to back up your claim.

 

[AppleScruff1]

It's all about price.

It's the price!

You can get a Chromecast for $23 right now, Amazon Fire Stick and Roku Streaming Stick for $39.

This isn't complicated:

- Lower Price

Wait a minute, now it's about price? I thought people didn't care about price where Apple was concerned? People buy iPhone, price doesn't matter. People buy iPad, price doesn't matter. Record sales for Mac's, price doesn't matter. Now $50 is a deal killer?

 

[Infinitewisdom]

Apple's cloud and media services have clearly stalled. I'm considering an Amazon Fire tv stick. despite the unwieldy name, it does exactly what I want it to do and doesn't require me to watch movies I purchase on one brand of device. Apple needs to step up its game. Relying on one product line for over half of your total revenues is a dangerous game to play.

 

[iLLUMI]

Chromecast is good but not perfect.
Apple TV is still a superior device in that it can support apps on the device itself, such as Plex.

Chromecasting is okay but way too laggy. If Google can fine tune this then it will be a winner. Casting Plex and using the Plex App to control the show/movie that you're watching is a little buggy. If future Chromecast devices support onboard apps such as Plex then that would be another win.

But as for Chromecast sales topping Apple TV, that's only because it is way cheaper. For me, I had no intention of getting one until someone I knew mentioned that it was on sale and told me what it could do. So I just bought it for the sake of trying it out.
I mean if Apple TV dropped down to say $50 then I'm sure Chromecast sales would be far less and Apple TV sales would be much higher.

 

[DaveN]

i just bought a bunch of blu rays with digital copies even cheaper than itunes prices

I was looking at the same. I'm mostly into old movies so I'm looking on the tcm.com site. Where did you get your movies?

 

[JoEw]

Apple's cloud and media services have clearly stalled. I'm considering an Amazon Fire tv stick. despite the unwieldy name, it does exactly what I want it to do and doesn't require me to watch movies I purchase on one brand of device. Apple needs to step up its game. Relying on one product line for over half of your total revenues is a dangerous game to play.

Install XBMC onto that fire stick and it is a winner.

 

[nfl46]

Wait a minute, now it's about price? I thought people didn't care about price where Apple was concerned? People buy iPhone, price doesn't matter. People buy iPad, price doesn't matter. Record sales for Mac's, price doesn't matter. Now $50 is a deal killer?

Yes, it's about price.

If you placed all four devices side-by-side and told people the functionality of each of them, then 9 times out of 10, they will choose the cheaper one. < Referring to the Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and Chromecast.

Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops are completely different.

If I can save $50 on a media player, then I'm ALL for that - but when it comes to smartphones, tablets and laptops, I am choosing the higher price Apple. But, that's because I'm stuck in the Apple ecosystem and it just makes sense to purchase Apple products.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Yes, it's about price.

If you placed all four devices side-by-side and told people the functionality of each of them, then 9 times out of 10, they will choose the cheaper one. < Referring to the Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and Chromecast.

Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops are completely different.

If I can save $50 on a media player, then I'm ALL for that - but when it comes to smartphones, tablets and laptops, I am choosing the higher price Apple. But, that's because I'm stuck in the Apple ecosystem and it just makes sense to purchase Apple products.

But it's an Apple product. It has to be better so why not pay the higher price? It should be consistent.

 

[nfl46]

But it's an Apple product. It has to be better so why not pay the higher price? It should be consistent.

Haha! I'd love if Apple was good at everything...unfortunately, they aren't. That's the reality of it.

 

[newagemac]

I have the chromecast, ATV, and the new Fire TV stick and price not withstanding, chromecast is my favorite hands down.

The ability to just cast from an open tab on my Mac put it over the top for me. It's a feature I use daily.

The Chromecast is far more limited in functionality and especially in that respect. With the Apple TV, I can Airplay the entire screen of my Mac regardless of what's on my screen. Any browser, any app, anything on the screen.

With Chromecast, you're limited to just a tab in just the Chrome browser. They're not even close.

 

[MrXiro]

Chances are most of the people who bought a Chromecast, Roku or Fire TV have at least 1 iOS device in their house. So why would they buy the competition when they would have a better experience with an Apple TV? Simple; the price is too steep and the hardware is outdated.

This spring Apple needs to bring a new Apple TV with:

1. A new stick like form factor: People already have game systems, Blu Ray players and other hardware hogging up their entertainment center. The current Apple TV is very small but Apple can appeal to more people by offering an even smaller package. Just plug it into your HDMI and your ready to go.

2. 4K video playback: 4K TVs are getting cheaper and selling more. Apple needs to keep up with the times. Also, in 2015 new UHD standards will come into play in the form of HDR and wide color. The new Apple TV needs to support these new features.

Most importantly 3. It must be cheaper: No matter how great the Apple TV truly is, $35 will always look better than $100, especially in the hard times we live in. The new Apple TV should be available for:

$45: for the base unit which is mainly for streaming and AirPlay.

$75: for the more advanced unit that has a beefier A7 processor and can be used to play games from the Apple TV App Store.

You had my attention until you said "MUST BE CHEAPER"... when has Apple EVER sold anything cheaper than the competition? They may do the stick format, 4K and possibly even a game controller. But don't hold your breath about them ever selling their devices for cheaper/on par with their competition... if you think they will then you don't know .

 

[69Mustang]

Is it ecosystem agnostic (honest question)? Or is it highly Google centric for it's content ... like movie rental, music?

Yes, as in it can be used with Android, Windows, and iOS devices. Content can come from ESPN, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, MLB.com, Pandora, Rdio, Plex, and others. Of course it also includes content from Google. Using Chrome, you open the door to casting content from myriad others. So, yeah, I do think it's ecosystem agnostic. Not as much as a Roku, but it does not depend on having an Android device.

 

[ksuyen]

If they'd spent less time on yearly iOS / OS X releases, we might have had an Apple TV app store by now.

This is not an option. People used to yearly new OS now.

It's a $25 device. It should be outselling the Apple TV. I bought one just to have one. Didn't hurt my pockets at all. The Apple TV is hands down better than the cromecast though.

No surprising that cheaper price is always selling more, but as long as Apple sees no threat in their ATV profit, nothing will change yet, at least not until few more years.

The only reason why i still use my my atv is because of my itunes movies and season passes. if it wasnt for that i would use my chromecast full time.

You need full licensed iBeamer, torrent website and uTorrent, then you are set. I also use Crunchyroll.

Apple TV really is a nice product. Apple should spend a little more effort updating and improving it.

You pay the price (not by large compare to Chromecast) for much better quality and user friendly (interface and operational). Using Chromecast tend to give you lots of headache if you are not Tech savvy.

I would buy one, but the Chromecast and Firestick are cheaper and more elegant. Apple is lagging on this and other areas unfortunately. Another missed opportunity for them.

That's subjective opinion. Apple TV is much more elegant than Chromecast and Firestick. But again, that's my opinion.