Well, I was being a bit conspiracy theory silly, but various folks have said that they were told that the purpose of this product was to toast C4. Whether that's true or not, I dunno.
In the conspiracy theory view, they wouldn't have to establish a real presence to replace C4. C4 is a much smaller company, and much of it's growth is dependent on the belief that it's becoming viable. The whole cycle of life thing. People believe that they now will survive, so more people buy their stuff, so they are more likely to survive. The Microsoft strategy is to just spread enough fear, uncertainty, and doubt (that the big dog is about to come in and show how it's done) to erode that confidence in a bright and assured future. The cycle of life works both ways.
I mean, if Crestron really was interested in that market, they've had years and decades to do so. But they didn't do it. So how really interested could they be? Why only bring this product out now?
Anyway, as I said, I'm just playing the Grassy Knoll Advocate, and not totally seriously. But it is awfully suspicious, that is should come out now, that it's avowed purpose is to destroy a potential competitor, and that the companyd doing it has ignored that market pretty totally up until now.
And of course there's the whole alien intelligence thing and the Obama administration and all that.
But I do think that it will introduce somes issues for them. It's hard to have two lovers (who know about each other) and keep them both happy. They have all those existing Crestron installers, who now could find themselves bidding against less capable folks selling a much cheaper product, from the same company. It could get interesting.
