Farewell, Umi. We hardly knew thee.
Cisco Systems
The networking giant has now decided to quietly kill another consumer-electronics offering, Umi. If you've never heard of Umi, it's probably because it was the most ill-conceived product that was allegedly geared toward consumers ever created. Umi was a consumer home videoconferencing system destined for the "average" consumer. Its biggest problem?
Its absurd price tag.
For $600, a three-piece set consisting of a camera, controller, and set-top box could be yours to videoconference in full HD 1080p to your heart's content. But wait -- there's more! You're also expected to fork over a $10-per-month service fee. It's also your responsibility to bring your own hi-def TV and Internet service, or BYOHDTV&IS.
As bad as it already sounds alone, we haven't even talked about competing alternatives.
For $0, you can use Skype, which Microsoft
For $500, you can buy a brand new Apple
Here's some free advice, Cisco: When it comes to consumer products, stick to Linksys routers.
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