Former Apple engineers at OQO call it quits

[AppleInsider]

OQO, a company formed by two members of Apple's Titanium PowerBook G4 team who left the company to deliver the micro-sized laptops that Steve Jobs refused to build at Apple, is shutting down after nearly a decade of trying.

Jory Bell and Nick Merz left Apple in 2000 to form OQO after a struggle within Apple to develop prototype designs for a new micro-sized laptop that resembled a miniaturized Titanium PowerBook. By 2004, OQO had produced a tiny Windows XP device using the Transmeta Crusoe processor.

Since then, the company has shipped machines based on Microsoft's UMPC reference designs, which have found a small but ecstatic fan base. The company's sales have been unable to keep the operation afloat however, underlining Jobs' instincts that the market wouldn't support a tiny mobile handheld laptop even if it were a cool bit of engineering.

"We are sad to report that due to financial constraints, OQO is not able to offer repair and service support at this time," the company has stated. "We are deeply sorry that despite our best intentions, we are unable to provide continued support for our faithful customers. Please accept our sincerest apologies." OQO is no longer answering phones.

A blogger for GottaBeMobile.com reported comments from Bob Rosin, OQO's SVP of sales and marketing, who expressed hope that the company's technology and engineering teams could stay together "if a deal they’re working on with another PC vendor pans out."

The company is currently out of stock of its devices, and plans to complete a final manufacturing run didn't work out as hoped. There's no word yet on the identity of the PC maker interested in acquiring the group.

Apple has expressed no interest in developing a conventional netbook or UMPC-like device, but has signaled intentions to both deliver lower cost, WWAN enabled MacBooks later this year and to deliver a wider array of iPhone and iPod touch models, including a new tablet device many observers expect to see next year. The company is also actively hiring engineers.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Tauron]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

OQO, a company formed by two members of Apple’s Titanium PowerBook G4 team who left the company to deliver the micro-sized laptops that Steve Jobs refused to build at Apple, is shutting down after nearly a decade of trying.

ROFLMAO!!!

[MacTripper]

They just didn't have...



...a "Reality Distortion Field" generator.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field

[addabox]

By all accounts it was a nice piece of engineering, but if that type of machine can't make it as a Windows device, what chance would it have had in the much, much smaller Mac market?

There's a quote around somewhere from Jobs to the effect that he's just as proud of some of the things Apple has said "no" to as the things Apple has built.

[SpamSandwich]

As Jobs might say: "Boom".

[hmurchison]

They were too early.

Had they launched a product now they'd have had more options for design and better processors. Consumers now are moving away from thinking of portable computers as a "laptop" and towards thinking of Smartphones and other internet enabled devices are portable.

9 years ago this "mobility" ideology wasn't as pervasive.

[zunx]

The OQO was a magnificent piece of hardware. But it failed simply because it was too expensive at 3,000 USD.

The OQO is absolutely awesome to carry it in your pocket (just 450 g) and use it for PowerPoint presentations using the VGA-out port. Because even the MacBook Air is too heavy and too large.

There is no alternative to the OQO. Unless Apple makes something like a 300 g tablet with VGA video out and Mac OS X inside to run PowerPoint and Keynote NATIVE files.

[addabox]

Doesn't the rise of netbooks kind of obviate things like the OQO?

[Quadra 610]

LOL, it seems Apple really does know best.

[mdriftmeyer]

You'd be amazed at the hundreds of former Apple colleagues who think they can be the next Steven P. Jobs.

[Tofino]

i seem to recall this thing costing thousands of dollars. can you imagine the outcry if apple had introduced it? we never would have heard the end of it...

[Quadra 610]

Let's see if Apple re-hires these folks.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

Let's see if Apple re-hires these folks.

Probably about the time they welcome the Pre people back into the fold.

[JimDreamworx]

So there's this alleged red-hot market for netbooks, and with today's price/performance technology, these guys are getting out when the getting is supposedly good?

Next thing you know, IBM will sell their PC division to - oh, I dunno, a Chinese company, let say - and stop making PCs because it's a sound business decision.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by JimDreamworx

So there's this alleged red-hot market for netbooks, and with today's price/performance technology, these guys are getting out when the getting is supposedly good?

Next thing you know, IBM will sell their PC division to - oh, I dunno, a Chinese company, let say - and stop making PCs because it's a sound business decision.

But they didn't make netbooks, they made a relatively powerful, expensive, but tiny PC.

The disadvantages of a sliding keyboard cellphone at the price of a higher end laptop.

[bsenka]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

LOL, it seems Apple really does know best.

Perhaps they knew best that a $3000 UMPC wouldn't sell. That itself should have been self evident, IMO. Plus, I never saw any in any stores, so how could a customer ever see one to know if they wanted one, even if the price WAS reasonable.

Nothing about this is in any way related to the rest of the netbook market. Different products, pricing, and distribution. Netbooks are in every Best Buy, Futureshop, etc. Macs are in every Best Buy, Futureshop, etc. Totally different economic conditions than what OQO was facing.

[Quadra 610]

Originally Posted by JimDreamworx

So there's this alleged red-hot market for netbooks, and with today's price/performance technology, these guys are getting out when the getting is supposedly good?

Next thing you know, IBM will sell their PC division to - oh, I dunno, a Chinese company, let say - and stop making PCs because it's a sound business decision.

Hehe, they coulda pulled a Psystar and made netbooks . . .

[PG4G]

Quadra, please don't mention the name Psystar around here... Prince McClean will come out with a useless, contentless rant on the topic. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not see that...

Leave Psystar to the courts now :P

[Quadra 610]

Originally Posted by PG4G

Quadra, please don't mention

who? what?

[TBell]

Yes, but as Steve Jobs himself would admit a lot of his success is due to blind luck. He was lucky enough to be born in a time when the computer boom was just beginning. Once you make that first billion, the second billion is much easier.

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer

You'd be amazed at the hundreds of former Apple colleagues who think they can be the next Steven P. Jobs.

[macxpress]

I think this should silence the critics who think Apple doesn't know customers want. They obviously aren't stupid!

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by macxpress

I think this should silence the critics who think Apple doesn't know customers want. They obviously aren't stupid!

Really? The AppleTV has been out for over 2 years now and how many customers want that as opposed to Blu-Ray which Apple still hasn't decided if that's what they (the public) want?

[piot]

Well this was their first mistake....

"The OQO may be a revolutionary form factor on the outside but what really makes it special is that it's basically a regular wintel laptop inside," said Rob Enderle, OQO beta tester and Principal Analyst for the Enderle Group"

SAN FRANCISCO, California - October 14th, 2004

www.oqo.com/news/press_releases/pr0008.html

[addabox]

Originally Posted by piot

Well this was their first mistake....

"The OQO may be a revolutionary form factor on the outside but what really makes it special is that it's basically a regular wintel laptop inside," said Rob Enderle, OQO beta tester and Principal Analyst for the Enderle Group"

SAN FRANCISCO, California - October 14th, 2004

www.oqo.com/news/press_releases/pr0008.html

Ugh. The Enderle Kiss of Death.

How that halfwit is able to make a living dispensing his tepid nonsense is beyond me.

[bloggerblog]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

As Jobs might say: "Boom".

That's mean but funny!

[ecking]

It's funny because the technology needed to make these actually be good and well priced is finally upon us. Before they were just extremely high priced novelty items, and because of technology breakthroughs it actually looks like apple is going to be creating devices more in line with this type of device(that alleged tablet)

[NasserAE]

Originally Posted by TBell

Yes, but as Steve Jobs himself would admit a lot of his success is due to blind luck. He was lucky enough to be born in a time when the computer boom was just beginning. Once you make that first billion, the second billion is much easier.

There is alway a chance for people who want to take risks (they also need luck). Charles Duell, Commissioner of Patents, said in 1899 "Everything that could be invented has been invented". The majority of every generation think this way. It is not until few decades when they realize how wrong they were.

There are always thing to be invented and ideas that can make millions if not billions. The catch is to stop being lazy and do it. The founders of Yahoo, Google, Amazon, and many others made their billions with companies they started less than 10 years ago. Facebook founder made his billions less than 5 years ago. Tomorrow someone will start a company from nothing and will make millions and you will think why did I waste my time posting comments online and arguing with other and never thought about this idea first!!

[gilwave]

Originally Posted by NasserAE

There is alway a chance for people who want to take risks (they also need luck). Charles Duell, Commissioner of Patents, said in 1899 "Everything that could be invented has been invented". The majority of every generation think this way. It is not until few decades when they realize how wrong they were.

There are always thing to be invented and ideas that can make millions if not billions. The catch is to stop being lazy and do it. The founders of Yahoo, Google, Amazon, and many others made their billions with companies they started less than 10 years ago. Facebook founder made his billions less than 5 years ago. Tomorrow someone will start a company from nothing and will make millions and you will think why did I waste my time posting comments online and arguing with other and never thought about this idea first!!

Everyone thinks they know better and can do it better if only the big bosses would just let them move forward with their ideas, unencumbered by sales and marketing types, MBAs, and corporate bean counters.

'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'. The only thing that matters in business is that you STAY in business 5, 10, 15 years from now when your customers need you.

What good did it do to have a better mousetrap when market forces and a lack of business acumen and humility force you out of business?

Jobs may not be 100% right all the time, but his track record is pretty spot-on. I wouldn't bet against that horse.

[Tauron]

I doubt Steve "Blow" Jobs will rehire those people.

[gilwave]

Originally Posted by Tauron

I doubt Steve "Blow" Jobs will rehire those people.

Right - like Steve, with all his other issues, bothers with the minutia of day-to-day human resources issues like individual hires and re-hires...

[lightstriker]

if you want the perfect OSX iTablet, built it yourself like this guy did.
http://www.macmod.com/external-mods/macbook/1577-itab

[brucep]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

who? what?

don't mention teckspud !!

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by Tauron

ROFLMAO!!!

I wonder why you think this is so worthy of derision? These people took a risk and worked their guts out to make it work. There are a lot of product categories that can't work in the Mac space, which CAN work in the PC space due to differences in size. You don't have to hate them for being realists and designing for the only platform where this was felt to have a chance.

Respect these people for the attempt they made, for trying to think different. For trying. This was a noble failure. Even though I hate Windows with a passion (I try never to use Windows when I'm around my nieces, because I the profanity is sometimes out of my mouth before I can catch it), this was the only legitimate avenue these people could have gone, to pursue their dreams. I salute them, and I'm sorry it didn't work out. (Never saw one in person, so far as I know. I wonder how many were sold).

[justflybob]

Originally Posted by Tauron

ROFLMAO!!!

Hmmmm.... Three or four years ago you were probably laughing about Intel's attempts to woo Apple.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

I wonder why you think this is so worthy of derision? These people took a risk and worked their guts out to make it work. There are a lot of product categories that can't work in the Mac space, which CAN work in the PC space due to differences in size. You don't have to hate them for being realists and designing for the only platform where this was felt to have a chance.

Sorta, I guess, but: according to the article they lobbied hard to make something similar at Apple and only left when their repeated efforts were rebuffed, so it doesn't appear that they made a strategic decision to "design for the only platform where this was felt to have a chance", and, it doesn't speak well for their "realist" cred that they wound up making an expensive niche product without a clear reason for being beyond being cool.

Respect these people for the attempt they made, for trying to think different. For trying. This was a noble failure. Even though I hate Windows with a passion (I try never to use Windows when I'm around my nieces, because I the profanity is sometimes out of my mouth before I can catch it), this was the only legitimate avenue these people could have gone, to pursue their dreams. I salute them, and I'm sorry it didn't work out. (Never saw one in person, so far as I know. I wonder how many were sold).

Again, I guess, but I don't see their failure as particularly "noble"-- they weren't doing basic medical research or furthering man's knowledge or even changing the tech landscape. They just had this idea about making a wee little PC, and they did, and it was expensive, and nobody really wanted it.

It was cool in a tech enthusiast way, but not "the path not taken could have changed the world" cool, just.....cool. Pick it up at a trade show and say "neat" cool, not "OMG this changes how I think about how I do my work" cool. Demo cool. Sony cool.

And yes, it reminds me of a Sony product-- nicely engineered, great industrial design, seemingly existing simply to prove that they could do it when no one else would. Except these guys didn't have Sony's (formerly) deep pockets to indulge their engineering fetishism.

Apple's famous parsimony when it comes to what they actually release really is a virtue, it's just not a virtue that necessarily warms the heart of the average gear head.

[Robin Huber]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Really? The AppleTV has been out for over 2 years now and how many customers want that as opposed to Blu-Ray which Apple still hasn't decided if that's what they (the public) want?

Apple is ahead of the curve again with Blu-Ray. Just as when they left the floppy drive off the original iMac. They saw the end coming for that puny standard before anyone else did. PeeCee folks were astounded.

Now they see that video content is much more likely to be delivered by wire than by plastic disks through sneaker net or mail, no matter what the quality or format. They may be a little premature, but they are right. Already I am watching more of my NetFlix movies streaming through my TiVo than by their disks in the mail.

It's what's next.

I have no answer for AppleTV other than that they will slowly but surely improve it to compete with TiVo and other boxes. Just want to stay in the game until they see which way it's going?

[macxpress]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Really? The AppleTV has been out for over 2 years now and how many customers want that as opposed to Blu-Ray which Apple still hasn't decided if that's what they (the public) want?

Well show me some non-bias proof that people want blu-ray over an AppleTV.

I happen to own an AppleTV and would take it over a blu-ray player any day. I can do a hell of a lot more with an AppleTV than I can with an overpriced blu-ray player. Plus you never know what Apple is going to further build into it. You can't build functionality into a blu-ray player.

[MacGregor]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

LOL, it seems Apple really does know best.

I have never even seen an OQO so I can't say, but the fact that a small computer company can't be financially viable does not necessarily mean that the product or form factor is the reason.

A similar device with a Mac OS, iApps and iTunes would have a much richer ecosystem then just the vast but unfocused Windows desert.

The fact that they went under reflects the fact that most businesses eventually do go under even with a superior product (see WordPerfect, etc.). If they had come up with the iPod first, but didn't have the integrated experience that Apple could create - they would have failed with it as well. Wouldn't have meant that the iPod was a marketless device!

Cause and effect are not so simple to elucidate as many here seem to think.

[addabox]

Really, I think the problem with the OQO was that it tried to run straight-up desktop Windows on a 5" screen. Tossing in a stylus driven touch UI in lieu of a mouse and some zoom functionality doesn't help out much.

As Apple has demonstrated, if you want to put put real computing power on a tiny screen, you're going to have to do the hard work of coming up with an appropriate OS. Putting some touch stuff on top of a shrunken desktop just doesn't cut it.

I do think Apple could do something about this size and make it a lot more appealing by using a version of the iPhone OS, just as they have already demonstrated that a phone UI is better off not trying to be a miniature version of a full sized OS as Windows Mobile insists on doing (is there some weird Windows thing that thinks tiny text and lists and button and menus are cool?)

[thebob]

I met the guys behind this company and my conclusion was that they are good people trying to do something creative.

So to all the haters: you are lame cowards for heaping scorn on people trying to do something creative and cutting edge.

Maybe the product wasn't right for the market, maybe Apple was right about the market potential -- that doesn't justify the kind of hateful BS I'm reading on this blog.

I hope YOUR business fails and then I can ROFLMAO.