(A Cisco Cius video from a happier time)

Last week Cisco announced that it was ceasing its investment in the Cisco Cius tablet as a specific form factor, and will double down on making its collaboration software work great on many tablets and other devices.

“Over the last year, Cisco has demonstrated a commitment to delivering innovative software like Cisco Jabber and Cisco WebEx across a wide spectrum of operating systems, tablets and Smart Phones. We’re seeing tremendous interest in these software offerings. Customers see the value in how these offerings enable employees to work on their terms in the Post-PC era, while still having access to collaboration experiences.

Based on these market transitions, Cisco will no longer invest in the Cisco Cius tablet form factor, and no further enhancements will be made to the current Cius endpoint beyond what’s available today. However, as we evaluate the market further, we will continue to offer Cius in a limited fashion to customers with specific needs or use cases.“

Being in business is sometimes about making bold and daring moves, and I’m glad that Cisco did so with its decision to go full steam ahead with the Cius tablet. Clearly it was a risky strategy for Cisco, with the Apple iPad having been welcomed with such acclaim by actual users, but there was some precedent of enterprise IT managers buying Cisco branded devices for employees, and so there was a chance that it might have worked out. But it didn’t. Nevertheless, taking the safe and easy road seldom leads to big gains in market share. Cisco tried the Cius, it failed in the market, and they’ve learnt from that. I wish them better success in the next iterations of their vision.

And remember, many people said the iPad was doomed when it was announced too. That game played out differently.

For a longer review of the Cius, see CRN’s article “Cisco Partners: Timing Was What Killed the Cius”