Meta revealed that he will no longer sell his troubled Portal (opens in new tab) video devices for consumers and is focusing on enterprise customers instead.
a report of The information revealed that the devices, first launched in 2018 as part of an effort to expand the Facebook parent company’s hardware portfolio, will now focus on corporate use cases such as video conferencing.
The Portal was originally launched as an effort to help connect Facebook users around the world, but it has raised eyebrows with some questionable privacy decisions, meaning many consumers have been left out.
Gateway to business success?
Currently, five models of Portal can be found online, starting with the more portable Portal Go for $199, alongside the Portal Mini ($129), the original Portal ($179), Portal TV ( $149) and the top-of-the-line Portal Plus ($349). ).
The information notes that Portal accounted for less than 1% of the global smart speakers and displays market in 2021, with analyst firm IDC estimating 800,000 devices shipped last year.
He adds that Meta will now look to clean up its remaining Consumer Portal inventory before focusing solely on enterprise customers, although existing users can still count on continued product support for now.
It remains to be seen exactly what approach Meta will take to transform the Portal into a business device and whether it will announce new releases.
There is potential for the existing line of devices to be a useful addition to offices, with the Portal and Portal Mini possibly acting as hubs for booking meeting rooms or initiating ad hoc video calls from a quiet location.
The webcam-like Portal TV could also have a role to play for companies looking to up their game of video calling by offering a low-cost way to turn television screens or other monitors into a video chat hub.
through the information (opens in new tab)