&gt; Anyone understand why they didn&#x27;t launch this as a chromecast like USB stick vs. a standalone box?<p>The same reason that Google didn&#x27;t do that with Nexus Player, which is the nearest equivalent consumer product from Google to the Apple TV.<p>&gt; Surely price point will be a big issue with adoption.<p>Possibly -- I think there is a reason why Google did Chromecast first. But Apple has been pretty successful in the past aiming at the high end of the market and not worrying about price point effects on adoption, trusting on marketing and prestige.