Cisco has announced its decision to discontinue the Cius tablet. Originally designed as an Android-based platform for business, the Cius was first announced in June of 2010. Its purpose was to deliver workspace needs on-the-go, allowing customers to capitalize on mobile, visual and virtual requirements from a single, portable device.
Low sales in Cius tablets are evidently linked to the popular demand for other consumer-loved devices, such as the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Cisco points to the results of recent market transitions for further explanation. These findings suggest the company’s software products, such as Cisco Jabber and Cisco WebEx, are a more valuable investment than its hardware devices at this point in time.
“We’re seeing tremendous interest in these software offerings,” writes OJ Winge, senior vice president of Cisco’s Collaboration Endpoints Technology Group,
in a recent blog post. “Based on these market transitions, Cisco will no longer invest in the Cisco Cius tablet form factor, and no further enhancements will be made to the current Cius endpoint beyond what’s available today.”
Highlighted features of the Cisco included: HD video streaming and real-time video, multi-party conferencing, email, messaging, browsing, ultra-portability, and the ability to produce, edit and share content stored locally or centrally in the cloud. It was marketed as a first-of-its kind mobile collaboration business tablet that delivers virtual desktop integration with unlimited access to Cisco’s communication platforms.
But like many other Android manufactured devices have discovered, it just wasn’t enough. The Cius now joins the HP TouchPad (discontinued after only two months), and the short-lived Dell Streak 7 tablet, in the dark sea of the technically obsolete.
