Google Chromecast Has Sold Out Everywhere

On Tuesday, Google held an event to announce a number of new products, but the one that took the show was the Google Chromecast, a $35 Streaming Media dongle that plugs into any TV's HDMI port and allows the user to instantly stream Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, and soon other services like Pandora through their television.  What separates Chromecast from Apple TV and Roku is the interface: Simply use Netflix, YouTube, or Google Play from your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet, laptop, or desktop on the same wireless network, and you will get the option to play that video or audio straight from your TV.  There is no remote, no box to set up to move, just a small dongle in your HDMI port.

Google Chromecast is a Game Changer

If initial sales are any indicator, this is going to be HUGE.  In one day, Chromecast has sold out on the Google Play Store, Best Buy, and Amazon.  Google just completely undercut the streaming hardware market with a product one third the cost of the competitors.  Purchasers were also promised three months of Netflix free, but that offer is already gone due to overwhelming demand.  What is even more amazing is Chromecast only offers three streaming services right now.  Pandora is promised soon, but people buying this are either getting it just for Netflix and YouTube, or expect major additions soon.  I thought about getting one or two, but I can't even do that right now.  I guess I am going to have to wait a few weeks for the fervor to die down.

What does this mean for Apple TV and Roku?  It probably won't kill them, but this is sure to eat into their market share.  Google has made it their business to get into a market late, only to steal away the majority of the market.  This has been their model with smartphones and tablets, both of which they now own the majority of new sales.

I have made it no secret that I have a thing for all things Google.  Google has been really pushing some great products onto the market as of late, such as the new Google Maps, Android 4.1 and up, and new updates to Google+.  Expect this trend to continue this year and into next with the Google smartwatch rumored coming soon, and Google Glass being released in 2014.  Google is on a roll, and I don't expect that to stop soon.  I predict the 21st century is going to see Google products become as ubiquitous as Proctor and Gamble products became in the 20th.