Chromecast the Most Purchased Streaming Device – Apple TV Comes in Second

Sleek and simple, Google’s Chromecast has found itself atop the list of most purchased streaming devices, outpacing the sale of Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, the next most popular devices.

This of course doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the low price point of the Chromecast makes it almost a no-brainer when people are shopping for devices that would let them stream movies and TV shows from mobile apps. After all, Apple TV and Roku are nearly triple the price.

Research group Strategy Analytics found that 35% of people who have purchased streaming devices in the last year have opted for a Google Chromecast, with Apple TV landing at 20% and Amazon Fire TV and Roku both earning 16% in a tie for third place.

The report comments that while these device sales have been increasing rapidly as of late, the growth of smart TVs will certainly challenge this market. On the surface, this certainly makes sense, as users would of course likely love to simply purchase a TV with all the same functionality as current streaming devices.

So our general thoughts. Would Apple, Amazon and Google consider making their own televisions with app store ecosystems in order to maintain a sense of control over such a market or is that too big of a shift in focus. Are these companies confident enough that their devices can remain feature-heavy enough that users will remain loyal to such platforms?

An argument could certainly be made that native television app platforms, the ones you see on TVs such as JVC and Visio, just don’t remotely compete with those built into third party streaming devices such as Apple TV. There is no doubt the experience on a device like Apple TV is far greater than trying to navigate clunky smart TV app platforms.

It’s also likely that a screen remains simply a screen, and television technology likely won’t be able to advance as quickly as third party streaming devices. TVs are relatively expensive, $35 streaming devices are not, making it much easier for Google to innovate on a much less expensive device compared to having to release a new television every six months.