Google TV Continues to Struggle

Dun dun dun. That is Google TV going down the toilet. Google's kindly asked its electronics partners to not showcase any Google TV wares at next month's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Is this a sign of Google TV's early demise before it even had a chance to hit home?

Google TV, or WebTV's second coming was supposed to merge the Web's rich multimedia content with cable through apps. Despite Google's push, it's really failed to gain any traction at all. Google's reason for the delay is the usual industry statement: to refine the software. Hey, Google, how about shipping something that's actually been tested on you know, consumers?

Last month, Sony slashed it's Google HDTV prices by up to 25% and Logitech just recently got around to "fixing" its Logitech Revue box with a better Netflix app and resizable picture-in-picture window. As the only Google TV products available on store shelves, those two tidbits paint a bleak picture, especially consider how half-baked the Revue is.

LG, Sharp and Toshiba were expected to hit hard at CES with some Google TVs, but it looks like that won't be happening, if the New York Times report is true. We like the idea of an Internet-connected TV, but we just don't like how much more it costs. The Revue goes for $300 - a bit pricey for a box that just pipes the Internet to your big screen. Why buy a Revue when you can just get a cheap $7 HDMI cable and connect your notebook?

Via New York Times

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