Google TV has been dubbed a “fiasco” by some, and while yours truly is skeptical on that exact terminology, we’re certainly miles and miles away from calling this product a success. In addition to poor reviews on the less than impressive software featured by the devices released thus far, Google called for a halt on presentations from Sharp, LG Electronics, and Toshiba at CES this year — prompting Logitech to completely stop production while they wait for Google to make a move.
As reported by Engadget, Gigabyte (the company who’s building Logitech’s Google TV devices) has stopped all production on the Revue (their Google TV device) for December and January. This means, among other things, that the Revue hasn’t been selling nearly as well as either Google or Logitech had hoped, and everyone is pinning the blame on the software (yes, even Google, who sited the software as the reason for delaying CES presentations).
Logitech has stated that they’re willing to resume production if and when Google revamps their Google TV software. There’s some controversy over who decided to stop production, with some sources stating that Google instructed the stop, with others claiming it’s a power move from Logitech. Neither company has commented on the source of the halt.
The “software tweaks” that should allow for releases from major manufacturers and a re-commencement in production from Logitech are expected to be released in late January, 2011. However, given the December OTA update for existing Google TV users, it’s uncertain exactly what this new batch of software will contain. Those who want to try Google TV as it current stands can still do so, and even the Revue is available from the manufacturer website — just not in stores.
