Say it ain’t so, Cisco!
Wow. Cisco has just issued a release stating that in a strategic plan to “align its operations,” the company will exit parts of its consumer businesses and realign the remaining consumer business to support four of its five key company priorities: core routing, switching and services; collaboration; architectures; and video. One of the casualties of this realignment: Cisco’s video camera Flip business, which was part of its $590 million acquisition of Pure Digital. As part of the plan, Cisco will close down its Flip business and “support current FlipShare customers and partners with a transition plan.”
The idea of the Flip is so obviously useful that it has spawned a zillion imitators and competitors, some of which have improved on the original. I use the Kodak PlayTouch and find that in most situations it’s extremely good, plus unlike the Flip, the Kodak accepts SD cards. Add in the fact that most cell phones shoot video now, and several shoot HD video, and a few of them can edit and upload video directly to YouTube, and you have the makings of the end of the Flip.
Still hate to see it go, though. Flips were the original weapon of choice for political guerrilla video a couple of years ago. On the other hand, keep an eye on Amazon and Woot. There’s sure to be a Flip dump in the near future. They’ll still work even after Cisco stops supporting them.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member