JJZolx wrote: > The problem, IMO, is that Logitech had no idea what they were buying. > The Squeezebox system is a client-server networked music player, heavily > dependent on the quality of the network and on the reliability of the > computer on which the server software is run. It started as a hobbyist > system and it never really grew (or could grow) much beyond that. As a > consumer product, it was a support nightmare from day one. >
While I agree with the observation, it did not necessarily have to be that way. The client/server architecture was a smart move when it was first introduced because it allowed to build a low cost system with a lot of capability and extensibility. There are no systems on the market that can do as much and I only know one other system that is similarly flexible in it's control capability (Sonos). But it's now dated and no longer appropriate, the world has moved on, devices are now capable enough to support better, e.g. peer-to-peer based solutions that would also be more user friendly without relying as heavily on the server. But Logitech didn't move on. They more or less stopped development of the Squeezebox system three years ago, you simply can't _expect_ it to still be appropriate. Now, it looks like they realized this mistake sometimes this year or so and started investing again but this time, it looks to me like they screwed it up with a "quick and dirty" approach. Logitech seems to be one of these companies who dream of getting rich like Apple but aren't willing to do what Apple does. Logitech marketing: here's some news for you: Apple didn't invent the iPhone with three engineers in six months. They put legions and legions of designers, engineers and product managers in there until it was good enough to be launched. That product had been rumored about for years and the patents around it date from several years before the launch. They didn't do this the quick way. Nor were they the first ones to try, but they took the patience and investment to take it to a level where it became a - sorry for the bullshit bingo term - disruptive product. Just analyzing a shortcoming and then looking for the quickest and cheapest way to get there and being happy with satisfying those three customers who have a shared interest in those 5 features which 80% of the users can agree on won't get you anywhere. I believe all of what we are seeing here is simply poor marketing. And since it's not the first time we are seeing it from Logitech (Google TV, anybody?) I don't believe we're going to see them succeed in the future, either. Luckily for us, the Squeezeboxes are open enough and we here know enough about them that we don't need them, too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ pippin's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13777 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96999 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
