Google's Chromecast is a Roku alternative, not a cheaper Apple TV AirPlay option [Apple Insider]

Final paragraphs of a detailed review

"This means early adopters of the cheap Chromecast will gain a very limited functionality that essentially duplicates low end Roku boxes and the Smart TV features already part of many modern HDTVs, without gaining forward-looking support for true AirPlay-like features that Google is separately adding to new Android devices.

This may likely make Chromecast a distraction that takes away momentum from Miracast or DLNA, leaving Apple the only vendor with a top to bottom streaming solution that works across all its devices and costs very little to implement."

Google's Chromecast is a Roku alternative, not a cheaper Apple TV AirPlay option