Rumor: Microsoft to buy Logitech?!

[radish]

A Logitech Squeezebox is one thing, but a Microsoft Squeezebox?

http://uk.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUKL1049519220080110?feedType=RSS&feedName=technology-media-telco-SP

[mflint]

"Uh Oh" indeed - that would be horrid, unless Logitech SMS could retain some autonomy with respect to open standards and DRM, etc.

Matthew

[amcluesent]

IIRC, some people have claimed that a Win32 build of SqueezeCentre would be a great improvements. be careful what you wish for...

[simonjedrake]

Makes sense from a Microsoft business stratergy to get into "esential hardware" that every PC user has to have, i.e Mice, Keyboards, Video camera's, etc.
Cannot imagine that a "Squeezebox" will fall into this category...........
Who knows, maybe there will be a management buyout by Slim Devices so we will end up back to pre-logitech days.
Funny old world of business, full of circles........

[mflint]

Makes sense from a Microsoft business stratergy to get into "esential hardware" that every PC user has to have, i.e Mice, Keyboards, Video camera's, etc.

Media Centers?

ZURICH, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Swiss-based Logitech's <LOGN.VX> largest shareholder and board member Daniel Borel said he had no reason to sell his stake in the computer peripherals group and declined to comment on rumours Microsoft<MSFT.O> could bid for the firm. "I am a co-founder of Logitech. Would you be willing to sell your child?" Borel told Reuters in an interview when asked whether he would be prepared to sell his 6 percent stake in Logitech.

"I have no reason to sell. But I will not be the one to decide. I own only some 6 percent so I will neither enable nor prevent a sale of Logitech. At the end the shareholders will be the ones who will decide if they want to sell," said Borel.

Borel declined to comment on rumours that Microsoft, the world's largest software firm would make a bid for Logitech, the world's largest maker of computer mice.

"Rumours are rumours. I can't make any specific comment on them," said Borel, Logitech's former chairman.

"Microsoft is above all a software company -- it is a very, very large company and only in a couple of "small" fields we compete with each other," said Borel when asked whether Microsoft would be a good partner for Logitech.

"Logitech is a company that is in great shape. It is growing nicely and above all it has a strong vision for the future," he said.

Thursday, 10 January 2008 11:39:50

Also, looks like the trading community isn't convinced that this is any more than speculation and they're not getting excited at all.

I don't think I'll start panicking yet!

[ddewey]

Uh Oh

Quoting amcluesent (amcluesent.32z30n1199972401 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com):

>
> IIRC, some people have claimed that a Win32 build of SqueezeCentre would
> be a great improvements. be careful what you wish for...
>

Ohh no. I can tell you as one enthusiastic Slimdevices/Squeezebox
customer/pimp who has sold many, many of these things to friends and
acquaintances, I would NEVER buy a Microsoft-branded SB. Microsoft
ruins everything it touches. The Logisoft acquisition was one thing
for me, certainly tolerable and understandable; Microsoft is another
thing completely.

I understand the Slimdevices people probably have little to say
about this, and I feel bad for them. I just hope that some of the
cash trickles down if it happens.

Hopefully this is just rumor.

[itstom]

Logitech Shares Surge On Talk Of Microsoft Bid

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205601996

Lets hope not!

[Mark Lanctot]

Threads merged.

[Mitch Harding]

Uh Oh

I would buy the SB regardless of the label, provided it's the same SB inside.

On Jan 10, 2008 8:46 AM, Dave Dewey <ddewey (AT) cyberthugs (DOT) com> wrote:
> Quoting amcluesent (amcluesent.32z30n1199972401 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com):
>
> >
> > IIRC, some people have claimed that a Win32 build of SqueezeCentre would
> > be a great improvements. be careful what you wish for...
> >
>
> Ohh no. I can tell you as one enthusiastic Slimdevices/Squeezebox
> customer/pimp who has sold many, many of these things to friends and
> acquaintances, I would NEVER buy a Microsoft-branded SB. Microsoft
> ruins everything it touches. The Logisoft acquisition was one thing
> for me, certainly tolerable and understandable; Microsoft is another
> thing completely.
>
> I understand the Slimdevices people probably have little to say
> about this, and I feel bad for them. I just hope that some of the
> cash trickles down if it happens.
>
> Hopefully this is just rumor.
>
>

[gorman]

Please, please, please, please... no, please.

[CardinalFang]

Microsoft ruins everything it touches.

I'm not sure that's true, the networking aspects of the XBox 360 are the best there are in gaming land, so they do get it right with consumers sometimes and their dev tools beat everyone else's for usability most times. Don't judge them just by Windows

[erland]

Don't worry, have some faith in the Slim Devices crew.

MS could buy Logitech, but I'm pretty sure the Slim Devices management is aware that the community would die under MS lead. If Logitech is bought we are probably going to see a management buyout by Slim Devices or some other arrangement so the community and our beloved SqueezeBox could continue to live.

The Logitech purchase of Slim Devices was a completely different thing, it made sense from both companies point of view.

[andyda]

Uh oh indeed!

Unless MS changes it's stance on Open Source seems to me SB could be ruined.

I hope that one last great version of Slimserver (Squeezeserver or whatever they are calling it now) gets published and lots of devices get made so we can find them for a few years on eBay.

I really don't have much confidence that MS would do a good job with SB.

Just MHO, YMMV

Andy

[Diana]

Uh Oh

Mitch Harding wrote:
> I would buy the SB regardless of the label, provided it's the same SB inside.

The hardware is only part of the story. A very important part, but
still a part. Just out of interest, does anyone know what kind of
licence the SqueezeCentre Software is released under? GPL-3??? ;-)

[Phil Leigh]

My only concern with this is what happened when MS bought Pacific Microsonics...anyone seen an HDCD recently?