Logitech Speaks Out On Failed Google TV Venture – Blames Google For Revue Blunder
You may remember a certain little set top box called the Logitech Revue. Or maybe you don’t — and that’s kind of the point. The device from Logitech was early out of the gate introducing the world to Google TV. Unfortunately, nobody was lining up to buy them. Things got so bad for the company that they had to drop the price of the Revue from $300 down to $100. Even then, potential buyers were still hesitant.
So how does Logitech’s CEO Guerrino De Luca feel about the device? Well, in an Analyst Investor Day meeting, De Luca described the December 2010 launch as, “a mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature.” He also went on to say,
To make the long story short, we thought we had invented [sliced] bread and we just made them. [We made a commitment to] just build a lot because we expected everybody to line up for Christmas and buy these boxes [at] $300 […] that was a big mistake.
As far as the future of the Revue is concerned, I wouldn’t expect a sequel anytime soon. At least not from Logitech. De Luca told investors that he is ready to move on having “brought closure to the Logitech Revue saga,” with “no plans to introduce another box to replace Revue.” Logitech lost well over $100 million in the Revue fiasco.
So who’s to blame for the blunder? According to De Luca, it could be Google saying, “[We] executed a full scale launch with a beta product and it cost us dearly.” Logitech may have put too much faith in Google and while I think Google TV is still a great idea, I don’t know how many more manufacturers will be so quick to adopt with fear of pulling another “Logitech.” So sad. Let’s hope Ice Cream Sandwich can transform all of our devices into mini Google TV devices.