What simply occurred? Bear in mind the Jamboard, Google’s 55-inch 4K digital whiteboard that was primarily the corporate’s tackle the Microsoft Floor Hub? Until your online business or place of schooling makes use of one, you would be forgiven in the event that they’d slipped your thoughts. Now, Google has introduced the $5,000 machine and its $600-per-year payment is becoming a member of the tech large’s more and more crowded graveyard of discontinued services and products.
Google introduced the enterprise-focused Jamboard again in October 2016. The cloud-connected, Android-powered digital whiteboard was designed so groups may collaborate on initiatives even when folks had been in numerous places. Not too surprisingly, the reveal got here a number of months after Microsoft’s related Floor Hub, which value $8,999 for the 55-inch model and $21,999 for the 84-inch model, proved so in style that manufacturing needed to be ramped up.
The Jamboard packed a quad-core Nvidia Jetson TX1 SoC, built-in HD digital camera, audio system, microphone, and Wi-Fi. Google boasted that it may acknowledge as much as 16 simultaneous contact inputs, and its passive stylus (no batteries or Bluetooth connection required) might have appeared chunky, however it may draw a line simply 1mm thick. It additionally got here with a spherical eraser, although it was doable to make use of a finger to take away content material. Rounding off the specs had been USB and HDMI ports, and you possibly can even roll it round on the (costly non-compulsory additional) cell stand.
Most likely an important aspect of the Jamboard was its distant collaboration options. Groups from world wide may watch and contribute to “jam” classes utilizing their very own Jamboards, and other people may observe alongside and contribute utilizing a smartphone app. It additionally provided tight Google Workspace integration.
In a Workspace publish, Google writes that will probably be winding down the Jamboard whiteboarding app in late 2024. Moreover, the {hardware} will not obtain software program updates after September 30, 2024, the identical day its license subscriptions expire.
Any corporations or colleges with an upcoming subscription renewal can stay subscribed till that date at a prorated quantity. The Jamboard reaches its finish of life on October 1, 2024. Google says it is going to work with academic establishments to compensate them for phasing out the $5,000 Jamboard gadgets.
“Over the approaching months, we’ll present Jamboard app customers and admins clear paths to retain their Jamboard knowledge or migrate it,” Google stated, including that it’s going to assist clients “transition” to third-party whiteboard apps like Figma, Lucid Software program, and Miro. They are going to nonetheless want a brand new touchscreen such because the Google Meet Sequence One Board 65 ($13,999) or the Desk 27 ($2,000).
Google did not simply make $5,000 from the sale of each Jamboard; it additionally charged a $600 “annual administration and help payment” and a Google Workspace subscription for each consumer. There was additionally the $1,350 wheel stand for individuals who wanted it.