X

Cisco's consumer failures (photos)

The networking giant is killing the Flip video business to "realign" its priorities. But Flip isn't the only consumer-oriented venture that hasn't worked out for Cisco.

Erica Ogg
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
Erica Ogg
Flip-video_610x241.jpg
1 of 6 Cisco

Flip video

The news today that Cisco has decided to kill the Flip video business was sudden, but not altogether shocking considering the competitive landscape for small, mobile HD video cameras. Most smartphones can take HD video and easily upload it to the Web now, something that when Cisco bought Pure Digital for $590 million wasn't as commonplace. But with the growth of smartphones there's less need for a separate portable HD video device.

Cisco purchased Pure Digital, the maker of the popular flash-based camera because it was clearly the leader in its field. The Flip Video set itself apart by making the process of creating, editing, and uploading short videos to sites like YouTube very uncomplicated. In the two years before Cisco bought it, Pure Digital--a nobody in the consumer electronics world--said it sold 2 million devices.

Linksys.jpg
2 of 6 Cisco

Linksys Wireless Home Audio System

The Linksys Wireless Home Audio system, introduced in early 2009, was designed to be a Sonos killer. It bore a remarkable resemblance to the Sonos Multi-Room Music System, offering networked base stations designed to live in several rooms of the house and play digital music from networked PCs or online audio sources.

It ultimately never worked as advertised.

FlipshareTVgrouping_610x423.jpg
3 of 6 Cisco

FlipShare TV

FlipShare TV was a baffling product launched in late 2009 that allowed you to share your Flip videos to your TV via a USB adapter for your PC and the FlipShare base station.

Rather than building the video-sharing capability directly into the already popular Flip camera, it came up with the FlipShare TV, which just seemed like extraneous hardware that served a single purpose.

It was never really heard from again after the initial introduction.

CIT310_210x291.jpg
4 of 6 Linksys

Linksys iPhone

Before the wildly successul Apple iPhone there was the Linksys iPhone, a handset for making Skype and landline calls with no PC connection required.

Cisco ended up settling with Apple after a trademark dispute over the name arose, and the original iPhone went away rather quietly.

LinksysMediaExtender.jpg
5 of 6 CNET

Linksys Media Extender with DVD

The Linksys Media Center Extender w/ DVD was supposed to be Cisco taking advantage of its purchase of Kiss Technology for $60 million in 2005, a company that made DVD players that could connect to the Web.

Ultimately it joined the rest of the failed media extenders that came and went around the same time, all of them meant to let consumers stream audio, video, and photos from a Windows PC. Many consumers just opted for a Microsoft Xbox 360 instead, which was close in price and offered most of the same features for the Windows Media Center experience, plus it was a popular video game console.

CiscoUmi.jpg
6 of 6 Cisco

Cisco Umi

Umi (pronounced YOU-me) is one of Cisco's consumer businesses that will avoid Flip's fate.

The Umi HD telepresence service--which is made up of a Cisco-issued HD camera with an embedded microphone, a set-top box, and a remote, and requires an HDTV connected the Web--allows people to make video conference calls using their TV.

While the product won't live on in its current incarnation, the main elements will be wrapped into Cisco's telepresence offering for business customers.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos