Logitech abandons Google TV after 100 million dollar loss

Ouch. No one could claim that Google TV’s been a smashing success, but Logitech called a spade a spade at its Analyst and Investor Day. CEO Guerrino De Luca said that the company had lost over $100 million in operating profits between the Revue and the EMEA region. De Luca did not mention the total loss breakdown between the hardware and the region. Currently, the company has no immediate plans to create a replacement for the Revue, but left the possibility open for new hardware some time in the future.

So what were the biggest made with Google TV? According to De Luca, the pricing is the biggest issue, with $300 being an unrealistic price point for large sales. (Ya think?) He went on to call the whole endeavor “a mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature,” and the company does not intend to manufacture more Revue units after the current hardware is sold.

To make the long story short, we thought we had invented [sliced] bread and we just made them. [We made a commitment to] just build a lot because we expected everybody to line up for Christmas and buy these boxes [at] $300 […] that was a big mistake.

The pricing issue seems obvious enough; after all, Apple TV isn’t exactly a barn-burner either, and it’s only $100. Roku only gained mainstream attention when its prices hit rock-bottom, and that product has a lot more focus that Google TV. Still, Google’s got plenty of money and manpower to devote to Google TV if they wish, a fact attested to by the recent update to Honeycomb with Android apps in tow. With only one major manufacturer supporting it, the future of Google TV is looking pretty bleak – maybe a Nexus-style device (at a more appropriate price) could bring Google TV into sharper focus?

[via AndroidGuys]