Part of the point of things like Chromecast is to avoid having to hook things up to a TV.

But you're giving up the freedom to decide what content you consume. Chromecast is the media equivalent of AOL. I know what I want to watch/listen to, so let me decide, instead of hamstringing me with apps, or making me jump through hoops to circumvent the restrictions.

Plus, if you're watching a movie, or otherwise streaming for a considerable length of time, you're on wall power anyways, so whats one more cable?

Function > Form.

Mini-Displayport to HDMI / DVI / VGA adapters are less than $10.

Did they ever do anything about the audio jack? I always thought it was wack how they not only forced you to buy a dongle, but also a 3.55m to rca cable.

Some mini-dp to HDMI adapters also pass audio through (including I believe the Apple branded one as well as one I bought after confirming reviews on Amazon), but I've also bought a couple that do not

Not if you buy them from Apple.

What does that have to do with anything? Chromecast isn't an HDMI port competitor...

Oh, come on. Chromecast is a way to display PC content on a TV. An HDMI cable allows you to display PC content on your TV.

Perhaps you mean't Chromecast doesn't compete very well with HDMI?

No, I meant that chromecast's value proposition isn't "if you don't have an HDMI port, you can use this to watch things!", so I don't understand the comment about Macs and HDMI ports. My computer has an HDMI port and I wouldn't dream of that making my chromecast redundant.