Cisco Quietly Kills Umi Videoconferencing Hardware
Cisco has finally halted sales of its umi videoconferencing line hardware, according to reports.
Cisco has finally halted sales of its umi videoconferencing line hardware, according to reports.
CRN reported that Cisco discontinued sales of the umi hardware, but will continue the service for those who purchased it. The hardware can also connect to Google Voice accounts.
Although the Cisco decision was the nail in the coffin for the umi hardware, Cisco shunted the umi onto the enterprise and business track in April, .
As part of that decision, Cisco chief executive John Chambers decided to refocus on its core competencies. "As we move forward, our consumer efforts will focus on how we help our enterprise and service provider customers optimize and expand their offerings for consumers, and help ensure the network's ability to deliver on those offerings," he said then.
Pundits, including those at PCMag.com, , and the company never provided a unit to the magazine for evaluation, However, Cisco provided .
Although Cisco touted the umi as a bulletproof combination of hardware and software for business and consumer use, the $599 price point put it at a severe disadvantage over cheaper solutions like Skype, which requires nothing more than a Webcam to work. But the company also .
CRN reported that Cisco will continue to support umi customers, but stopped selling the hardware in December.