“Logitech revealed ongoing struggles for the current Google TV platform with a price drop on the Revue,” Electronista reports. “The set-top box will now cost $99, half as much as before. The company also admitted it had to take a loss to support the price as $34 million of its $45 million operating loss accounted for the ‘cost of goods’ from selling below plans.”
Electronista reports, “The price slash, along with near-flat revenue year-over-year and poor performance in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region, led CEO Gerald Quinlen to step down. Chairman and former chief Guerrino De Luca would return to the CEO position until Logitech found a more permanent replacement.”
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“Neither Google nor partners Logitech and Sony have directly explained the lack of sales,” Electronista reports. “Some of it may have come from Apple TV competition, where the $99 price made Google TV appear expensive. The platform’s dependence on Flash-based web video also negated much of its advantage, as most major networks blocked it and left it with virtually no mainstream content.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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LOL!!! Beta Google TV flops!!! Maybe you should have sweat some details- like actually working with the companies instead of linking to their content and attempting take their revenue.
Maybe Google will go after legal contracts on how they stifle innovation. Those damn pesky legal details that Google has to follow is just not needed and should apply to them! They are Google! They “Innovate”.
How is that “innovation” working for ya?
I love it. “Beta Google TV”. As in Beta vs VHS.
170$ or even $99 is a lot to pay for a viewer with nothing to view!!!!!
“The platform’s dependence on Flash-based web video also negated much of its advantage, as most major networks blocked it and left it with virtually no mainstream content.”
So where are all those Fandroids who continually bleat about how having Flash makes Android the superior platform?
Fuckwits.
Lesson#1: Don’t be Google’s bitch.
If one wants to become a bitch of someone, pick some apes, like Ballmer, not pinky monkey Eric. T. Mole.
Seems it’s not Apple TV killer but CEO killer. LOL!
Seems it’s not Apple TV killer but CEO killer, LOL!!!
lol No Kidding!! Big mistake by that guy! He should of known better
I’m sure he will be alright, he probably has a nice big severance built into his contract paid if he does a good job or not. Executive of big Company is the only place you get a better package than a civil servant.
That’s unfortunate. Logitech is a solid company with many good products and generally good customer service.
It’s too bad that they are being dragged down by the incompetence of Google and Sony on this front.
Logitech has no one else to blame but themselves. They should not become a bitch of Google at first place. A bitch of Mole? What a f*ck up bitch.
Right, because obviously Apple was totally eager to partner with Logitech.
Why not someone else? Or do it by itself? World is not Google and Apple only. You ought to control your own destiny, not depends on someone else, especially a thief like Google. A thief like Google not only stole from competitors, but also from partners.
Did they have to get into the TV space (beyond the Harmony remotes)? A little research would have shown the CEO that currently the set-top box arena is a VERY competitive space where virtually no one is making any money. Corporate guidance is kind of his job right? So, because he couldn’t partner with Apple, he had to partner with somebody? Why not just stick to their core competencies?
A smart man once said “Innovation is Saying ‘No’ to 1,000 things”…
one year ago the Press was saying google TV as the new Big thing:
(july 28, 2010):
“More good news for Google TV today as new reports are indicating that sales of Internet TVs will enjoy an increase of roughly 125% this year…. these reports should give Google, and their partners, something to smile about.”
GOOGLE AND PARTNERS SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!!!
one year later CEO resigns.
makes you think about the ‘anal-ysts’ reports about Android tablets crushing iPad by 2015 etc…
Apple haters always cite Steve Jobs’ arrogance as a reason for hating Apple. Do they really think anycompany is more arrogant than Google?
Look at what Google does. It hangs out their developers in the Lodsys case. It hangs out their hardware OEMs by not locking up any content deals for GTV. It hangs out their hardware OEMs by not indemnifying them over the use of Android. It exposes the public’s wifi data. It hangs out hardware OEMs by not releasing a tablet OS in a timely fashion. And on and on. Talk about arrogance, let alone the hypocrisy of complaining about other companies buying patents, when they themselves were FOUNDED on the PageRank patent.
I still remember what Sony’s CEO said when they introduced Google tv at goole ip/op.
“Companies shouldn’t be afraid to work with Google”
Another bitch of Mole.
Meh.. so what if GooTv didn’t make it…
Uncle Vic Goodotra is still gonna kick everyone’s asses! Just you watch
I’m going to start calling them Cluegle because seems they haven’t got any.
Typical Google:
1. release half-baked UX dependent on the generosity of others.
2. partner with a hardware-maker and launch with much fanfare.
3. watch your short-sightedness cripple the product along with your partner.
When the iPhone and Sun patents come to roost for Android, it’ll be Logitech all over again for Samsung and HTC.
http://themacadvocate.com/2010/10/22/networks-to-google-wah-wah/
You see that? Only Microdolts can produce a product that loses millions year after year and continue to sell it. They don’t care if they lose billions as long as they get enough out the door to win marketshare.
Shiat I’ll probably go out and buy one now. Its at the RIGHT price finally. lol.
Google: Masters of Beta
Some background.
Guerrino de Luca is an Apple alum. He worked with Jobs when Jobs came back, but I believe there was a falling out. Since then Logitech has been Mac unfriendly. But like Jon Rubinstein, de Luca will find out that you don’t go against Steve for long without running into trouble.