The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for - The Verge
Goodbye, HDMI dongle. Hello, set-top box.
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/38938821
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This product looks awful.
First, ever since they added ads to Google TV back in 2021 (even on the Nvidia Shield TV), it’s been a subpar experience. Well, it was for me, at least - maybe it’s improved, but I switched to Apple TV as a result and haven’t looked back.
Second, why would anyone get this over an Nvidia Shield TV or an Apple TV, other than ignorance or an incredibly strict budget? The Apple TV 4K is $130/$150 new and the Shield TV is $150 new. The Shield TV, which came out in 2017, is faster than this. The Apple TV 4K is 16x faster. And if you get either refurbished, get an older Apple TV,
For anyone on a strict budget, the $30-$50 Chromecasts make way more sense than this device. Yes, they’re ending production of those, but there are still competitors near that price point.
The only thing I can think of is that they’re banking on brand recognition or are hoping the segment of people without smart home hubs who are unaware of alternatives (like the $35 SmartThings Hub Dongle) and who aren’t in the Apple ecosystem is big enough.
