Via BBY Insider, we’ve learned that Best Buy intends to replace the Roku 1 on store shelves with a revised Roku Streaming Stick come April. Unlike the poorly received first gen Streaming Stick that ran $100, may or may not have been MHL-compatible, and relied on a partner television’s (or projector’s) remote for control, the new agnostic version will be hitting the streets at $50… including remote. Further, the 2014 HDMI Stick sports USB connectivity – which we suspect will be utilized for power as seen with Google’s Chromecast. And, speaking of Chromecast, we wonder if Roku will finally pull the trigger on Miracast screen mirroring. It should go without saying that Roku’s existing 1200+ “channels” (of varying quality and interest) are confirmed for the ride.
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This may help Roku slow the bleeding, but I just don't see Roku surviving as a lone company much longer with the stiff competition from Google, Apple, and soon Amazon - all of which have more to gain from selling such devices in my opinion. Rokus margin on their older streaming boxes had to be better than on the sticks for much lower sales cost.
I have a WD TV Live, an Apple TV, a Chromecast, a Raspberry Pi running XBMC, and a NeoTV. I suppose I will need one of these as well. And when does that Amazon box come out?
According to the the Best Buy leak, the Amazon solution will be on store shelves in May. I assume release will be earlier and Recode has it pegged for March.
Roku's still got a great UI and more apps than all others, which makes it still very appealing. But I agree with Brent that they face some stiff competition going forward. Chromecast doesn't have many supported apps yet, but they will. And, of course, Apple and Amazon. (I assume they're counting on an uptick in commissions on movie and TV show sales/rentals now that those are pinned to the home screen via M-Go and will use strong sales to find a suitor or ahead of that rumored IPO.)