aNewDomain.net — Maybe it was a data input error. Or maybe Amazon.com had been hacked. I don’t know. But whatever it was, I received an email on Aug. 8 saying the Google Chromecast I had ordered on July 27 would be delivered in mid-October.
To confirm, I double checked the Amazon website. And sure enough it was now saying the product “usually ships in two to three months”:
As noted last week, the first production run sold out in a few days. At the time I placed my order, Amazon promised me that it would ship in three to four weeks:
On Aug. 3, it seemed to be on schedule:
Keep in mind that this is a simple electronic device. Why is it so much trouble getting the product to the consumer? Why did the shipping date slip? Is it poor production planning? Having trouble getting parts? Having legal problems? Playing hardball with Amazon? Who knows?
If it is legal problems, it may be a trademark conflict with Chromecast.com, a web development company. Here’s its website:
Image credit: Chromecast
Note the link to legal information near the bottom of the screen. Follow the link and you will see a lot of legal information. There is also some very faint black-on-blue text at the bottom of the page. It is illegible on my display, but here is what it says:
© 2013 Chromecast Inc. All rights reserved. Chromecast, Chromecast Digital Media, chromeTone, The rADium LDAP suite, and project|aurora, are trademarks of Chromecast Inc. and may not be used without written permission.
Did Google forget to get that written permission? If so, it can always change the name to “Metro.”
Perhaps Google is just playing hardball with Amazon. It turns out the Google Play website still says the Chromecast will ship in two-to-three weeks. If it cuts Amazon’s quota to induce people like me to cancel their Amazon orders and order from the Google Play Store, it may gain a few sales. Buut, ultimately, as a Google customer, that strikes me as not great policy.
