Google Cast has really only been around for about a year. The first time we saw it was at CES last year, but in the intervening time, Cast hasn’t been picked up as widely as Google may have hoped. Sonos remains the go-to wireless home audio provider, and not even Apple AirPlay was able to get the level of adoption necessary to compete. However, this year at CES, Google is announcing that a slew of manufacturers will be integrating Cast technology into their speakers over the course of 2016.
This push might be just what Google needs to succeed where Apple failed and become an effective competitor against Sonos. The partnering companies that will be creating out-of-the-box Cast speakers this year include big names like Philips, Pioneer, Raumfeld, Bang & Olufsen, Harman/Kardon, Onkyo, LG, Denon, and Sony. These speakers will come with multi-room sync functionality that will allow Cast-enabled speakers to play the same music seamlessly throughout your home regardless of what brands of speakers you mix and match.
See also: Google Cast now supported by Harman Kardon speakers1
In a note of similar news, Google also announced that their Android TV platform will see significant expansion this year. While Sharp, Sony, and Philips have already been putting Android TV on their sets, newcomers to the arrangement in 2016 encompass Arcelik, RCA, Vestel, Hisense, TCL, and Bang & Olufsen.
Whether these Google-active products will become a mainstay of our living rooms remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the company wants to become a bigger name in this market. It seems like they are making the kind of partnerships they’ll need to stand up to the competition, so it will be interesting to see how this develops over the course of 2016.
What has your experience been with Cast or Sonos? Will Google be able to expand their empire to our living rooms? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to click the button below to check out the rest of our CES 2016 coverage!
Next: Best of Android 2015: Audio
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