It can’t be long now. Just a couple weeks ago, we reported on a couple sightings of Google’s new smart TV dongle (is it a Chromecast, Android TV, Nest?) in a couple retailers and the price was a tad bit of a shock to me. For a piece of tech that looks ready to deliver the tried-and-true Chromecast experience alongside a new, updated Android TV interface and a new remote, I was expecting a price close to $99 or so. After all, this thing looks set to offer up a whole lot more functionality than any Chromecast currently on offer from Google.
In that earlier report, the price was either $49 or $59 depending on the retailer, and I wouldn’t have minded either. Thankfully, we are getting some internal clarification on not only what looks to be the finalized price point, but the naming scheme as well. And I really like both.
So, from one move by Target, we not only get a firm sense of price, but of naming as well. It thankfully looks like the $49 price tag is the one that will stick around and, if internal retails systems are anything to go by, this device will be called ‘Chromecast with Google TV’ as previously rumored by 9to5 Google. I supposed we’ve come full-circle, haven’t we? Anyone else remember Google’s early, failed attempts at smart TVs? Yeah, it was called Google TV, too.
The difference? This time around, smart TVs are commonplace and Google has years of both Chromecast support and Android TV under their belt now. As we know that the Chromecast with Google TV will basically inherit all of the abilities of Chromecasts (casting, backdrops, weather, Assistant, Stadia) while adding in a new, updated-looking Android TV (now dubbed Google TV), this new device sees a much more mature Google giving legs to Google TV for another go. We don’t have a date, but there are rumors swirling around a hardware event or announcement later this month or early next month. It’s about time for this new Chromecast to launch already, and I know I already have my eye on a few of them for both the home and office.
