Blue owned the consumer podcast mic market – now the brand is being phased out
Blue Microphones had a head start. The first Snowball was released in 2005, when the company celebrated its 10th anniversary. Within a few years, USB mics were everywhere. They were effectively synonymous with the burgeoning world of amateur podcasting and became a go-to for newbie content creators uploading videos to a brand new site called YouTube.
A few years later, the company released another game-changing game in the form of the Yeti – a step up from the Snowball in terms of sound, functionality and, of course, price. There have been other additions to the consumer lineup, including ultra-portable Raspberry and Mo-Fi in-ear headphones, but the Snowball and Yeti have long remained branded mastheads.
While the company has made many high-end audio products over the years, it's clear that consumer products in general - and the Yeti in particular - were what Logitech was most interested in when it purchased the brand in 2018. into the device maker's portfolio, while maintaining its own brand identity.
"Logitech is excited to welcome all Blue employees and contractors to Logitech," a spokesperson told me at the time. "The brand is also well received within Logitech's broader portfolio."
It looks like Logitech is set to end this era, however, by phasing out the Blue branding as its products are absorbed into its G line. The company confirmed the move in a related FAQ, writing, "We will keep the Yeti brand and move it under Logitech G. The name Blue will be used to describe our technologies."
The example he gives for the latter is BLUEVO!CE, a noise reduction technology that Logitech uses on its headsets. Indeed, the Blue Yeti is now the Logitech G Yeti. Based on the language offered here, things don't bode well for the continued existence of the Snowball and other non-Yeti Blue products. We've reached out to Logitech for clarification.
It's clear that Logitech has always viewed the Yeti as a game streaming accessory, a case it has continued to make over the years to the point of eliminating Blue altogether. The company's Astro brand is also moved below the G line, but the name will live to see another day.
"Astro will live on as a series of high-end console audio products under the Logitech G brand," he wrote. "Stay tuned for more Astro news, including a launch that we think our community will be very excited about."
Blue Microphones had a head start. The first Snowball was released in 2005, when the company celebrated its 10th anniversary. Within a few years, USB mics were everywhere. They were effectively synonymous with the burgeoning world of amateur podcasting and became a go-to for newbie content creators uploading videos to a brand new site called YouTube.
A few years later, the company released another game-changing game in the form of the Yeti – a step up from the Snowball in terms of sound, functionality and, of course, price. There have been other additions to the consumer lineup, including ultra-portable Raspberry and Mo-Fi in-ear headphones, but the Snowball and Yeti have long remained branded mastheads.
While the company has made many high-end audio products over the years, it's clear that consumer products in general - and the Yeti in particular - were what Logitech was most interested in when it purchased the brand in 2018. into the device maker's portfolio, while maintaining its own brand identity.
"Logitech is excited to welcome all Blue employees and contractors to Logitech," a spokesperson told me at the time. "The brand is also well received within Logitech's broader portfolio."
It looks like Logitech is set to end this era, however, by phasing out the Blue branding as its products are absorbed into its G line. The company confirmed the move in a related FAQ, writing, "We will keep the Yeti brand and move it under Logitech G. The name Blue will be used to describe our technologies."
The example he gives for the latter is BLUEVO!CE, a noise reduction technology that Logitech uses on its headsets. Indeed, the Blue Yeti is now the Logitech G Yeti. Based on the language offered here, things don't bode well for the continued existence of the Snowball and other non-Yeti Blue products. We've reached out to Logitech for clarification.
It's clear that Logitech has always viewed the Yeti as a game streaming accessory, a case it has continued to make over the years to the point of eliminating Blue altogether. The company's Astro brand is also moved below the G line, but the name will live to see another day.
"Astro will live on as a series of high-end console audio products under the Logitech G brand," he wrote. "Stay tuned for more Astro news, including a launch that we think our community will be very excited about."
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