Cisco’s brand has been emerging from the shadows of the corporate network and into the living room ever since it acquired Linksys. Since then, it has been looking to control the end points of internet access as well as the routers that power it, and even to create its own consumer brands. Adding to the purchases of set-top box firm Scientific Atlanta and camcorder maker Flip Video, it has now bought an industrial design consultancy, MOTO Development Group, which could help it create eye-catching consumer products and even give it an entry to the new but high profile tablet war.
A year ago, privately held MOTO, of San Francisco, demonstrated a technology for bringing a multitouch interface to large screen displays, claiming an iPhone-like experience on LCD screens of 60 inches or larger. It aims to bridge the gap between mobile multitouch displays, which typically scale up to eight-inch screens, and large touch panels like Microsoft Surface, which use bulky and expensive camera projection systems.
This could be highly significant technology for Cisco, which is always looking for ways to make web video and content usage easier and more attractive, in order to drive usage of the internet and therefore its routers. More generally – and the focus of the official statement – MOTO will enhance its product design capabilities for consumer markets.
“MOTO’s design and engineering teams have deep consumer expertise that will accelerate our ability to continue to deliver great products and expand Cisco’s consumer business,” said Jonathan Kaplan, general manager of Cisco Consumer Products. Similar motives lay behind Cisco’s purchase of Pure Digital, maker of the Flip, last year, a move that sparked rumors that Cisco could bring out its own smartphone. MOTO has 35 design consultants, and Cisco’s own Flip video range was one of the team’s projects. Financial terms of the latest transaction were not disclosed.
The recent release of the Valet home router/hotspot, which boasts a slick design and ease of use, was another indication of Cisco’s desire to make home networking devices into desirable objects, Apple-style. However, the ambition comes at high risk of alienating the real experts in this field, such as Sony, which are more used to working alongside Cisco than against it in the internet world.