Logitech Revue Slashed To $99 After Poor Sales [UPDATED]
by Jason Inofuentes on July 28, 2011 2:06 PM ESTIt hasn't been a great year for Logitech, and that's owing in part to the failure of their Google TV platform to take off in a market filled with cheaper alternatives. Amidst their dismal Q1 Financial Statement, Logitech announced that they would be slashing the price of the Logitech Revue below cost in order to boost sales. The box was somewhat well received by reviewers, but the original price of $299 was a sore spot, and the previously discounted $249 price garnered no favor. At $99, though, Google TV is now competing with the likes of Roku and Apple TV, still a tough fight, but not nearly so unbalanced by price.
This is, of course, all as the Google TV 2.0 update is in process, and the opportunity to run Android apps on the big screen for $99 could be a truly enticing opion. It's unclear when this pricing will take affect, but it'll be interesting to see if future Google TV product pursue this aggressive pricing. We hope to get a chance to chat with Logitech reps soon so stay tuned and post any questions you might have.
Source: Logitech
UPDATE: Per Logitech PR, we have a few clarifications. First, as many have noticed, the Revue's $99 price is now live. Further, Logitech wanted to emphasize that the Revue was not being sold below cost, merely at a discount, this is possibly an accounting matter as there's no denying that Logitech already charged themselves $34 million this quarter as a cost of this discount. Lastly, reports that the Revue had negative sales this quarter, that is that a greater number of units were returned than sold is erroneous. The figures invovled are actually regarding channel returns, units that sat on store shelves long enough that they were sent back by the retailer. So, that's not really much consolation. It's not that it was returned too much. It never sold at all. The good news? The Google TV 2.0 update has leaked and adventurous users are welcome to see what's in store.
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RaiderJ - Thursday, July 28, 2011 - link
If GoogleTV could act as a functional replacement for an HTPC, on top of all the internet connectivity, it would be a solid win in my book. Not sure how much value it would be to run Android apps... most of them are made to run on a touch screen. Plus, I have a cell phone for that.Lorash - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
"If GoogleTV could act as a functional replacement for an HTPC, on top of all the internet connectivity, it would be a solid win in my book."Indeed. I'd love to replace my HTPCs with something like this, provided I could get my OTA digital channels with an included or add-on tuner(s).
scott967a - Thursday, July 28, 2011 - link
Wait for Iomega, or at least if DLink Boxee Box can get bugs fixed.QChronoD - Thursday, July 28, 2011 - link
I'm tempted to get one of these now, since they're pretty cheap.Anyone know if it supports BD ISO or MKV files???
thrawnis - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
No one seems to be posting when the price change will take effect. I looked at several online stores they all still show the old pricing. Can anyone link to a trustworthy site listing the $99 pricing?bitstorm - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
I don't know if they have released an official date. The best I have seen is "before October 1" so it might be a little bit of a wait.Fritzo - Friday, July 29, 2011 - link
So where are they? When are the prices going to be slashed? I got used to Apples "Announce it and it happens instantly" mentality :)mindless1 - Monday, August 1, 2011 - link
Logitech's web store has 'em for $100,http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue
pixelstuff - Sunday, July 31, 2011 - link
I think part of the appeal of Google TV, at least the way it was originally marketed, was having the apps to expand it's functionality. Also the Dish Network DVR indexing never became a reality on Dish's flagship 922 model (why is that?).Those are two big features that would set it apart from most other "internet streaming" boxes. Google was presenting a vision of one box to be a control interface to all your content, whether it be internet, DVR, or possibly other future methods. Instead it turned out to be another internet streaming box.
A box which is in some ways more crippled than other streaming boxes due to the TV networks, Hulu, and others blocking content.