Skip to main content

Farewell Harmony remote: Logitech to lop off its remote control and digital video security categories

Logitech digital security systemAccording to a report by TWICE magazine, officials at Logitech say that the company will divest itself of its remote control and digital video security categories, while also discontinuing its console gaming peripherals and speaker docks by year’s end. Logitech claims the later moves are merely part of a new initiative to “discontinue non-strategic products,” but it looks more like some serious downsizing to us.

More than likely, there are concerns about the brand’s viability after sales in Q3 of 2012 decreased by 14 percent year-on-year. The company has also said that it would “seek additional opportunities for cost reductions in fiscal year 2014.”

Recommended Videos

With its business ailing, gaming console accessories were a logical category to jettison. After all, Logitech was always sort of wading around in those waters, reluctant to commit and submerge itself. That said, it’s no surprise that the company’s miserable Q4 2012,  and a 22 percent decrease in the video game retail market this past year combined to break the camel’s back. Still, it’s Logitech’s absence in another arena that may be the most acutely felt of all.

The company has been front and center in the remote control sector for a long time, and its Harmony remote has been one of the most popular options for roughly a decade now. There are plenty of questions left to answer about the state of the brand, but you don’t fold up an industry-leading product unless you have some major problems on the home front.

The Harmony may have been a casualty of the fact that remote sales in the aforementioned period fell by 24 percent, a steep decline. Meanwhile, the Ultrathin keyboard cover was the company’s best-selling item for that span, and its tablet accessory sales have doubled. That’s where Logitech will focus its attention for the foreseeable future, as it tries to undo the damage done in an ill-fated Q3 2012, which saw the company post a $195 million net loss.

Adam Poltrack
Former Contributor
Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…
An airport like you’ve never heard it before
Jordan Rakei recording the sound of an aircraft flying overhead.

Europe’s busiest airport has teamed up with a Grammy-nominated artist on a music project like no other.

Jordan Rakei was given access to all areas ... well, maybe not the runway when a plane was coming in ... at the U.K.’s Heathrow Airport to record numerous audio clips and soundscapes that he then incorporated into an ambient music track for travelers -- and anyone for that matter -- to enjoy.

Read more
One of the best TVs ever made is below $2,000, and comes with expert delivery
Panasonic Z95A

When you look through our current list of the best TVs, there are exactly two TVs that should stand out to you, even if you're a casual skimmer. The first is the Sony A95L QD-OLED, simply because it is at the top of the list. The second is the Panasonic Z95A, not because it's the runner-up (which it is) but because it's... Panasonic. It's just not a brand we see making winning TVs, but wow, what a winner the Z95A is. We immediately called it one of the best TVs ever made, something that will be apparent to your eyes if you get it. Now, what's exciting about this TV right now is that it has a low price. You can get the 65-inch version of the TV for $1,998 right now, a savings of over $1,200 off its usual $3,200 price point. You can even get a deluxe delivery and unpack for free if you select the right option on the sales page (accessible by tapping the button below). But, this deal has been around for some time now, since around the start of summer. With Prime Day here and ending soon, it's very likely the time for this deal to end as well. If you want one of the best TVs ever for under $2,000, be sure to tap the button below now.

$1,998 at Amazon

Read more
An amazing TV under $1,000 has a sub $500 Prime Day price (and it’s ending soon)
TCL QM6K

We're now in the final moments of Amazon's summer Prime Day 2025 event, and finding critical last-minute deals. Here's one that almost fundamentally changes how you'll likely think about a product. See, we have a whole list of the best TVs under $1,000, a price point that a ton of people that love TVs just don't feel comfortable crossing. Then, we have a separate list for budget TVs, the best TVs under $500. Even though prices (which move up and down!) are quantitative data points, the differences between a sub $1,000 and a sub $500 TV feel almost categorical in nature, like the difference between water and steam. This deal take the $600 55-inch TCL QM6K (one of the TVs in our 'under $1,000' list) and pushes its price down by $152. This puts it at a price of $448, which is an all time low for it on Amazon, transforms it into an 'under $500' TV. Tap the button below to get the transformative deal while Prime Day is still here or continue reading to see why we liked it so much even when it was over $500.

$448 at Amazon

Read more