In short: Google put out a blog post talking about the new design for the Chromecast that was unveiled yesterday at its Made By Google event. The blog posts talks with Diana Chang and Katie Morgenroth, both of whom work on the Chromecast team at Google. They talk about how the new design of Chromecast was all about simplicity. And the new paint job was to help it fit in with the rest of the Made By Google family. It is available in charcoal and chalk colors. Chang noted that the biggest improvements in Chromecast are actually inside. According to both Chang and Morgenroth, what sets the Chromecast apart from other products in the Made By Google family is the design language. It’s approachable, human-centric and it “easily blends in with other things in your home.”
Background: Chromecast was actually the first Made By Google product, way back in 2013. The device was announced alongside the Nexus 7 (2013) that ASUS built with Google. It was actually one of the few hardware announcements these days, that was an actual surprise. And in fact, this was announced before Google really had a hardware division – that came around late 2015. It was a way for users to essentially throw content from their smartphone onto the big screen, and it only cost $35. Making it an easy entry point for a lot of people. It’s a product that Google doesn’t update every year, and it hasn’t really been updated much since 2013, to be honest.
Impact: The Chromecast is an easy device to pick up and get set up, and even use. That is the most important thing for Google with the Chromecast as it wants to be able to market this as a device for everyone, and not just tech enthusiasts. With the new design, you’re getting a matte finish with the new G logo, so it does really fit in with the new design language that Google is using.