Google confirms that a second-generation Chromecast is on the way

Google’s first Android TV device is less than a fortnight away, however the company’s current television-friendly hardware appears to be doing just fine. In a recent interview with GigaOM, Google VP of product management Mario Queiroz said that Chromecast users have tapped the cast button 650 million times, a significant increase from the 400 million figure shared at I/O back in June.

Queiroz also discussed the future of the platform, sharing that there are around 6,000 developers building over 10,000 apps for the Google Cast ecosystem. He went on to talk about newer features like Backdrop, which lets users customize their TV with photos, news and weather feeds.

When talking about Google’s new Android TV platform, Queiroz clarified that there will be a second Chromecast, but the executive didn’t get into specific details about the unreleased product’s features and capabilities. Recently, a new version of Google’s popular media stick passed through the FCC, leading to speculation that a new device was in the works. Additionally, the $35 Chromecast has been on sale lately (around $28), which suggests that its successor may launch with similar price point.

While the FCC documents for the new Chromecast model H2G2-42 didn’t reveal much, we’re hoping that Google’s new media streaming dongle ships with faster start times and 5GHz WiFi, but until the company makes an official announcement, we won’t be getting our hopes up.