As GigaOM reported Wednesday, [Google] used its keynote address to contradict a widely reported Parks Associates research note from last month that showed that usage of the Chromecast streaming dongle was down significantly.
Presenting a slide to I/O attendees, Google said usage over a seven-day span is actually up 40 percent since the third quarter of last year, which was just after the inexpensive over-the-top streaming device was introduced. In a survey of Chromecast owners, Parks Associates found that those who reported using the device at least once a month dropped from 78 percent to 73 percent from Q3 2013 to Q1 2014.
For its part, Google is measuring hard data from devices that are connected to the Internet. Parks Associates used verbal feedback from users, many of which didn't even have their Chromecast connected at the time.
GigaOM's Janko Roettgers attended the keynote and snapped a photo of Google's big onscreen slide. The growth arc for Chromecast usage shows a notable spike in the latter half of the fourth quarter, with many new users receiving the dongle during the holiday season and trying it out. After leveling off in the first quarter of this year, usage begins a steady ascent, as a flurry of player apps become available for the platform.
From the article "Google contradicts Parks' Chromecast study, says usage is up" by Daniel Frankel.
