If you work in a network or data center, a look inside a Cisco router box might get you all giddy inside, but for most people — consumers included — networking gear is anything but sexy. So it was clearly with industrial design leader Apple in mind — and the consumer market in its sights — that Cisco today acquired MOTO Development Group, a privately held design consulting firm that develops products and product strategies for the consumer industry. The deal, which brings about 35 design consultants on board Cisco, is a small one for a company that is know for its acquisitive nature. But it’s not an insignificant one, as the company targets new “connected home” markets with devices like its new Valet home router and Flip Video cameras.
From the Cisco press release on the deal:
MOTO’s philosophy directly aligns with Cisco’s consumer strategy to use devices, software and the network to deliver transformational product experiences that delight consumers. As the consumer market evolves, Cisco will continue to focus on helping people live a connected life that is more personal, more social and more visual. Like the acquisition of Pure Digital in 2009, the acquisition of MOTO is another step toward embedding consumer design and ease of use into Cisco products for the consumer market.
Connected Planet’s take,
Rich Karpinski:
A deal like this just reinforces the scale of Cisco’s ambition. Trying to take on Apple and other mass-market rivals like Sony or Nokia in designing “must-have” consumer devices is a major challenge, especially for a company that has the bulk of its engineers rooted down in the esoterica of network routers and data center switches. The vendor’s recently released Valet home router/hotspot was a major first step toward making home networking just a bit cooler, featuring a slick design and a bunch of automation features. The vendor’s purchase of the Flip Video line of simple, handheld cameras, meanwhile, took its videoconferencing vision out to the masses.
The company’s MOTO acquisition, though small in size, further signals its out-sized consumer ambitions. Opportunities to place no-longer-ugly boxes in the home include next-generation routers/hotspots; home automation platforms; smart grid and utility management interfaces; true in-home video conferencing systems; set-top and even over-the-top video players; and the list goes on and on.
What might be most interesting to watch is just how the company’s new design aesthetic impacts the powerful Cisco brand, which is perhaps better known for rock-solid performance and aggressive riding of the commodity silicon/IP/network curve than for delivering slick user interfaces or an airified look and feel.
That’s our take on this. Let us know what you think in the comments section below: