The very first generation of the Google Chromecast HDMI streaming stick has come to an end as it reached its EOL (end of life) this year. Making for a noticeably long run for a consumer product. Instead of dying out quickly like most products seem to do these days, the original Chromecast lasted 10 whole years before this fate was met.
Technically, it would have made a total of 10 years as of this July since it was originally launched July of 2013. And it won’t technically be a hard end for the product since some functionality will continue to work just fine until it doesn’t. In other words, the company will stop supplying updates to the device.
So as apps continue to move forward with updates, they may cease to function on the original Chromecast since no further updates will be coming to keep them at their latest release. There will also no longer be any security updates, thus if any bugs or vulnerabilities pop up, they won’t be resolved. It i simply an old boat left out to sea where things will eventually begin to wear until it sinks.
This happens with all electronics, but it just hits harder since just about relies upon security and being connected to the internet and the latest APIs and platforms. Unlike devices of the past that didn’t depend on any of this and could potentially work for many years to come.
What’s nice is that the price hasn’t really changed much since it’s original release in 2013 where it launched with a $35 price tag. Within a year it already started hitting a discounted price of $29 during the holidays. Fast forward to today and you have seen the price rise and fall, with the latest generation launching at just $29.99 (Chromecast with Google TV). In fact, Best Buy has it on sale right now (at the time of writing this) for just $19.99, which should take away most of the pain of having to upgrade. Making for a pretty good deal at just the right time.
