back to article DON'T PANIC: Amazon's Chromecast late-ship email was a blunder

An email from Amazon telling customers that they wouldn't be getting their Chromecast dongle until nearly November – at the earliest – was a mistake, the company has said. In fact, shipping will begin shortly. Amazon, along with big-box retailers like Best Buy, sold out of Google's $35 gizmo within days of the streaming stick …

COMMENTS

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  1. User McUser

    At least it's cheap?

    Chromecast seems like the latest thing people don't understand but desperately want for reasons they can't articulate. Usually this is Apple's line, but Google can play that game too apparently.

    Myself, I don't see the attraction. But then again I've had an HTPC for about 8 years, so getting Internet things (web pages, streaming video, etc) on my TV isn't much of a novelty.

    1. Mikel
      Angel

      It's cool beans

      Once I tried it I had to have one for every TV. The attraction is not what you seem to think it is. Plenty of folks buying it to keep every Best Buy shipment sold out in minutes still though, so it isn't like you are going to talk anybody out of buying it before everybody knows how amazing it is. Nice try though. Keep up the good fight.

      1. User McUser

        Re: It's cool beans

        "The attraction is not what you seem to think it is."

        OK I'll bite, what is the attraction for you then?

        "[...] so it isn't like you are going to talk anybody out of buying it before everybody knows how amazing it is."

        Ummm, I wasn't trying to. I don't begrudge other people for buying a Chromecast nor do I wish to prevent them from doing so if they want, I just don't personally understand the attraction.

        1. Mikel

          Actually try it

          Then let's talk. I have four of them. They're only $35. Give it a go, and then engage with what you think of it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: At least it's cheap?

      I prefer the HTC wireless hdmi gizmo, but then I think that won't work now I've gone to stock android.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: At least it's cheap?

      I think you mean that it's something that you don't understand, but that's OK, we all know that you're special.

  2. h3

    Don't see the reason to use Wireless

    I don't see the point of it using wireless.

    My TV already has a wired connection. (And streams anything I can throw at it over DNLA better than any other device I have). I cannot imagine how it could be better using wireless other than mess up wifi for other devices that don't have the possibility of using anything else.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Don't see the reason to use Wireless

      No one is going to buy a Chromecast if they already have a smart TV (unless they're too dumb to know they have a smart TV, but only if Chromecast is easy enough to use that even people that dim can figure it out)

      You're not the target market, the target market are all those people who bought a low end Vizio because it was the cheapest HDTV at Walmart and want to be able to stream Netflix movies to their 42" TV instead of their 20" PC monitor.

  3. Efros

    The hook

    as far as I can see, and I use a Chromecast, is that you can immediately get what you're looking at on your phone/tablet/PC onto your TV with a minimum of fuss. I have an HTPC connected to my living room TV and it can do much more than the Chromecast, I should hope so given its cost, but it can't compete with using a tablet to browse the content and then get it on the TV. The 12 foot interface on none of the HTPC software I use or have used can compete with the tablet interface, having said that I only use the Chromecast for casual viewing and Netflix, other stuff still goes through my HTPC. The other advantage is portability, 5 seconds to disconnect it and then another five seconds to plug it into another TV. Oh and the price is the killer advantage of course. An ideal situation would be an app that easily interfaces and controls my HTPC via my tablet, which exists for MediaPortal in aMPdroid, but also one which will feed the URL of desired content to the HTPC, which it doesn't, for now at least.

    1. Mikel

      Let me give a use case, real world example

      Today we moved my 6 year old daughter into her own room from sharing a room with her older brother. They had Roku in their room, and Netflix. Mom gave us an old tube TV that went straight to trash because we don't have anything compatible with its solo cable TV input.

      We got her a cheap Android Tab last Christmas. We had a spare 24" LED monitor with HDMI input and headphone output, and a spare PC amplified speaker set. We had a spare Chromecast to plug into it. It took three minutes to teach her how to get what she want on Netflix. She has TV in her new room now, as she understands TV to be, controlled by her Android tablet. I can hear her watching it now (Phineas and Ferb?). I don't think she is going to grow up understanding something like waiting for an episode to air at a certain time of day. We don't even have that.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Shurely shome mishtake

    Steaming stick.

  5. JustWondering
    Paris Hilton

    Improved prospects

    Would one or two of these sufficiently enhance my perceived mating potential to rate a date with Ms Hilton?

  6. Richard Lloyd

    What about UK users?

    As often happens, here's another El Reg story that's US-only without making that clear or stating the situation for UK users. It seems at the moment, there's no UK price, no UK pre-ordering and no UK release date.

    Even tne dubious delay between the US and UK Nexus 7 2013 (has *any* UK site pressed Google on this to explain the reasons for this?) has been resolved and we now have UK pre-ordering, prices and release date. The Chromecast was released at the same time in the US, so why silence for this product?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: What about UK users?

      Because it's going to take time for US cable companies to re-make every decent British show so they have something watchable to show on Netflix.

      They have done House of Cards - although without the same sardonic catch phrase - now they just have to to remake Only Fools and Horses with William Shatner and Last of the summer Wine with Bruce Willis

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