Sony Says ‘Bye Bye’ to Aibo

Sony has officially let Aibo go. The company said that it was part of a restructuring effort on the company to help cut costs. Makes sense since only 150,000 Aibos have been sold since the roboticdog was first introduced to the public in 1999. Costing about $2000 each, the Aibo is not in everyone’s budget, but those who are lucky enough to own one remain loyal and have voiced concern withSony. They say they worry Sony won’t continue to support the Aibo for the seven years promised to its customers and that parts for the toy won’t be easy to replace or find. A lot of outrage has beenaimed at Sony for abandoning the dog owners love with all their heart.

Unfortunately, a devout following can only do so much for a niche product like the Aibo. Sony’s last Aibo, the ERS-7, was very expensive for the average consumer when other toys like NearMe from Segacost less and had similar features, though nothing standout. Sony has no plans to stop development on it’s humanoid robot QRIO though. QRIO is expected to be introduced to the public in the next fewyears to help assist people with disabilities.