Perhaps aware of Chromecast's limitations, Google unveiled Google TV's successor, Android TV, at its I/O conference last year. Compared to Google TV, Android TV is far less complex, with a standard interface composed of rectangles and a simplified remote. Android TV connects to the Google Play app store, uses Google's excellent voice search technology, and supports Xbox-style controllers, including one Google created in partnership with ASUS.
Unfortunately for the search giant, Android TV just hasn't gained much traction. Google released the Nexus Player last fall to demonstrate the power of the Android TV platform, but it was widely panned. In its review, The Verge wrote that the Nexus Player suffered from several strange bugs and a lack of apps, ultimately concluding that Google had "lots of work left to do."
Last month, Parks Associates reported that Google was the second-largest seller of dedicated streaming devices in 2014. But all of its 19% market share came from the Chromecast rather than its Nexus Player.
From the article "Can Google's Android TV Take on an Updated Apple TV?" by Motley Fool.
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