Logitech Acquires Slim Devices
This is a bit of a depressing day. First, I wake up to news that Logitech has acquired my favourite hardware vendor, Slim Devices, then my kid projectile vomits all over me, my chair, and a large portion of my desk. Ah, fatherhood.
Slim Devices, in case you didn’t already know, manufactures streaming audio players; the devices themselves don’t store any data locally (you can’t pick them up, plug them in anywhere and listen to music like you could an iPod) but rather play audio from a server located on the premises (or across the internet if you have a fast connection and a reason to do it, like playing music stored at home from work or something). More after the gap …
The server hardware and OS you supply yourself; the software is written in Perl for portability to *nix, Windows and Mac. The open-source development model of the server product is also significant—it means it is continuously improving, largely through user-submitted source code. Interface improvements, additional /improved file format support, bug fixes and improved ease-of-use are common in server software upgrades.
There is plenty to like about Slim Devices’ design approach: I already have servers storing my collection of music, so not having to duplicate anything to listen to music is nice. The devices are also small, sip on power, and are designed specifically with audio playback in mind: The result is very high quality gear that is designed very well for its purpose with functionality that beats other competing devices hands-down.
The word from the horses’ mouthes right now is that Slim Devices will maintain a large degree of autonomy and that no staff intend to leave (or have been laid off as part of the acquisition)—but I can’t help but worry about how this move will affect their design and software practices. For example, many of the contributors have been eager to help out thus far as they feel like they’re helping each other out by submitting patches and features. Now that Logitech is in the mix, they are changing their tune: “Logitech has lots of money, they don’t need my help for free.”
As with anything else, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. At least I can say I’m happy with my hardware and software as they are now, should the worst come to pass. Here’s hoping consumers win with this deal, too.