Earlier today, Cisco announced that the Flip line of cameras is no more. Here’s what Marketwire said:
Cisco today announced that it will exit aspects of its consumer businesses and realign the remaining consumer business to support four of its five key company priorities — core routing, switching and services; collaboration; architectures; and video.
Now, I have no doubt that Cisco is trying to focus more on its core strengths. But at the same time, Cisco, as a cooperation, exists to make money. Piles and piles of the stuff. My guess is that the Flip wasn’t helping that happen anymore.
I think the Flip camera is just another product that has been caught in the crossfire between all-in-one devices and the democratization of previously expensive technology.
The iPhone is the obvious example here. The price of Apple’s smartphone has come down, and the tech has only gotten better. It shoots great video, so why buy a dedicated device when you’ve already got an iPhone 4 in your pocket?
The best tool you have is the one you have with you, after all.
I think this is at the heart of the Flip going on the chopping block. If Cisco tried selling the brand off, it doesn’t seem to have succeeded. I guess others have learned what Cisco just learned the hard way: if you’re going to sell a stand-alone product, it has to be awesome.
DSLRs haven’t gone anywhere since the iPhone launched. Laptops are still around in this iPad-crazed world[1. Netbooks seem to be dying, though.]. But I’m not surprised to see the Flip go.