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More people are returning their Google TVs than buying them.“Sales of Logitech Revue were slightly negative during the quarter, as returns of the product were higher than the very modest sales," Logitech said today in prepared remarks to investors. Due to the poor reception, Logitech is slashing the price of its Google TV model from $249 to $99, Logitech announced. Given the lackluster sales, and general dissatisfaction, it's safe to say the Logitech Revue is on its way out--nobody wants Google's newfangled Internet TV, released in October 2010. What's killing the Google TV?
The product pretty much stank. At the core, people returned their sets because they didn't like the product. If Google wanted to launch a successful new concept, they should've made sure the software functioned at its highest. A price reduction won't change Google TV's poor software. "We’re not sure the lower price will fix blocked content and sluggish performance," laments This Is My Next's Nilay Patel. Seconding that sentiment, SplatF's Dan Frommer calls the software "lame," and is equally unlikely to buy the TV at its more affordable price.
The world isn't ready for it. Beyond slow software, people don't want Google TVs because they don't really get why they need a new way to watch television. Google TV worked as an intermediary between your cable box and your television set, allowing people to integrate Google goodies, like streaming videos, maps, and other Internet things, into your viewing experience. The concept works, people just don't want to accept it yet, argues TechCrunch's Matt Burns. "Google TV promised the world and delivered it. The world just wasn’t ready. The original intent of Google TV sitting between a cable box and your TV to serve as a universal search tool and online streamer is genius." Even if people understood the philosophy behind the product, most people didn't want to deal with an extra gadget, adds Frommer. "The bigger problem is that the Logitech Revue setup--sitting between your cable box and your TV--is way too complicated for most people to deal with."