News from OQO has been a bit scarce since the company unveiled its model 2+ at CES earlier this year. In the UMPC market, however niche it may be at this point, the model 2+ was essentially positioned to be a game changer — the specs speak for themselves: 5-inch WVGA OLED touchscreen display, Intel Atom processor (up to 1.86 GHz), 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, global HSDA and EV-DO along with up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM and a 60GB, 120GB hard drive or a 60GB SSD. So what’s the problem? We’re in the midst of a recession and the model 2+ — a luxury device that certainly wouldn’t be a necessity for anyone really — starts off at $999 and tops out around $3,100. Apparently, even those who indulge in the UMPC market are hesitant and interest is dwindling quickly. This, from an OQOTALK forum moderator:
I have been told by a few people in the know and also just from watching whats going on with OQO from reports on this forum. OQO is attempting to sell the company. It lacks the funds to keep going, cash is tight and work hours have been reduced. One has to wonder if it can still meet warranty claims as it starts to buy stock to build the 2+. I’m sorry to say this, but the 2+ might be the last OQO we see made. I don’t even think we will see it.
To compound matters, major retailer Expansys has apparently made the decision to remove OQO products from its site and is currently canceling pre-orders. Not good. We’re big OQO fans here at BGR so we hope the company finds a way to pull through but we’re also realists… The market for luxury items like this wasn’t that big to begin with and now that people wake up each morning wondering if they still have a job, the market is basically non-existent.
[Via jkOnTheRun]
