Logitech

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Logitech International S.A. (SWX: LOGN, NASDAQ: LOGI), headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, is the holding company for Logitech Group, one of the industry leaders in the personal peripheral market. Logitech produces a wide range of peripheral devices for a variety of platforms including PCs, gaming consoles, PC Speakers, mp3 Speakers, mobile phone headsets, and webcams, focusing primarily on the computer peripheral market.

Outside the PC sector, Logitech manufactures a variety of cordless controllers, wheels, and headsets for Xbox and PlayStation 2. In its most recent move the company entered the digital home area by acquiring Canada-based Intrigue Technology, which manufactures the Harmony Remote.

Though Logitech's registered office is located in Apples, Switzerland, it has offices in Fremont, California as well as throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Logitech's sales and marketing activities are organized into three geographic regions: Americas (including North America, South America, and Australia); Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and Asia Pacific.

Brand names

In the Japanese market, Logitech uses the brand name Logicool since a company named Logitec that focuses on computer peripheral devices already existed in that country since 1982. Its parent company has used the Logitec brand name since 1974. In the UK, they trade under 'Logi (UK) Ltd' because of another company called Logitech based on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It manufactures precision cutting, lapping and polishing equipment for the materials processing industry. Contrary to this - Logitech has not changed its name in Australia where South Australian IT Supply Company Logi-Tech Operates, the latter company even features a link to the Logitech Australia site on their website in case a customer accidentally stumbles onto the wrong website. Despite the presence of Logitech Electronics, an InterTAN Canada Ltd. supplier of Consumer Electronics since 1988, Logitech International also operates in Canada under the Logitech name.

History

Logitech International S.A. was co-founded in Apples, Vaud, Switzerland, in 1981 by two former Stanford graduate students, Daniel Borel and Pierluigi Zappacosta, and Giacomo Marini, formerly a manager at Olivetti.

Logitech is a spin-off of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), more precisely of the LAMI, where Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud evolved the design of the computer mouse originally invented by Douglas Engelbart.

At one point during its formative years, Logitech's Silicon Valley offices occupied space at 165 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California, home to a number of noted technology startups.

Production

The first Logitech mice were produced in Le Lieu, Swiss Jura by Dubois Depraz SA.

The production facility was then established in the US, Taiwan, Ireland and moved subsequently to Suzhou, China. As of 2005, the manufacturing operations in China produce approximately half of Logitech's products. The remaining production is outsourced to contract manufacturers and original design manufacturers in Asia.

Products

• Keyboards, Mice and Trackballs (including wireless models and Bluetooth models).
• Webcams
• Joysticks
• Speakers Including 2.0 Stereophonic sound and 5.1 Surround Sound systems. Also iPod/PSP speaker docks, and MP3 player speakers are available.
• PC & Mac, Xbox and PS2 gaming hardware. Including Game controllers, Joysticks and Racing Wheels.
• Headphones with and without Microphones as well as standalone mics (Bluetooth models are also available).
• iPod and MP3 player accessories.
• Harmony remote control.
• Wireless Music Systems.
• io2 Digital Writing System.
• 3Dconnexion controllers.
• The Playgear Collection of assessories for the Playstation Portable.

Logitech also releases products such as the Logitech G15 keyboard specifically targeted at the lucrative gamer market. These products usually have features not found in usual devices and are there only to enhance gameplay, such as macrokeys and the ability to disable the Windows key (a common problem to computer gamers is the accidental push of the windows key which can result in computer crashes).

Competitors

Logitech’s main competitor in the computer peripheral market is Microsoft (with their IntelliMouse) and Razer USA Ltd with their range of gamer-focused mice and products, and other brands such as the Taiwanese Genius, the Canadian Ideazon, and Creative from Singapore. As the computer peripheral and gaming accessories market is constantly growing, so does the competition.^{[citation needed]} Logitech faces serious competition from lesser-known generic or local brands in several countries, as well as well-established companies which are now investing in the computer peripheral market.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Logitech 'G' series

External links

• Logitech

Articles

• Mouse maker reveals how niche players succeed, Swissinfo, 20.4.2006