OCZ to exit cooler/peripheral market, focus on core products

Robert Hallock 29 Mar, 2010 at 12:31pm ET Article published in Tech

A $15.45 million round of funding has armed OCZ Technology with more liquidity to grow its SSD business, but has also indicated that the firm will be reeling in its product diversity to focus on solid state, power supply and memory products.

“We are focusing on our key product categories. We have ceased sales and marketing of the Hypersonic brand […]. We have transitioned away from the coolers, systems and peripherals and allowing us to focus and direct resources to our core solutions which are SSDs, power supplies and memory,” explained Alex Mei, EVP and CMO at OCZ Technology.

Mei’s statements come less than a week after the March 23 closure of Hypersonic, a PC systems integrator and an OCZ subsidiary. Keyboards, coolers and mice are expected to follow in Hypersonic’s wake.

Switching to focus on SSD, DRAM and power supply products will easily improve the company’s financial situation, as well as its agility in bringing OCZ’s most popular products to market.

Comments

29 Mar 2010 ~ 12:52pm mirage I am afraid there will be layoffs then
29 Mar 2010 ~ 12:52pm MAGIC This is a good step. Use your limited resources to be the best in those things you are already known for.
29 Mar 2010 ~ 1:28pm Cliff_Forster It makes perfect sense to focus on SSD's. Its where the greatest future opportunity is, and RAM and Power Supply's make sense as lines because they have proven to be the company's core competency.

Its a good move. Cooler's are a meh line, too much competition, probably at lousy margins. Mice and other peripheral's, its hard to differentiate, market is so saturated. So you keep the core lines that your adding real value in (RAM and PSU's) and focus on your best chance in a market that should go boom anytime now, SSD's.

I like it. If I were a betting man, I would bet on OCZ in the SSD market long term.
29 Mar 2010 ~ 1:33pm Thrax I'm definitely in on OCZ for SSDs over the long haul. The company was one of the first to really get consumer SSDs right with the introduction of the Vertex and has, from there, created one excellent SSD after another across a wide range of use cases and budgets.

They have really worked to cement their status as a quality SSD manufacturer, not only through their early work with Indilinx, but through Tony's hard work with firmware and tweaks and the company's unmatched forum support.

OCZ is A++++ in every core competency.
29 Mar 2010 ~ 2:07pm Kwitko

Thrax wrote:

OCZ is A++++ in every core competency.

Except when it comes to rebates.
29 Mar 2010 ~ 2:12pm MAGIC

Kwitko wrote:

Except when it comes to rebates.

Yeah, them and EVERYONE else.

Its usually not the company offering the rebate that handles it anyways.
29 Mar 2010 ~ 2:12pm clifford_cooley

Kwitko wrote:

Except when it comes to rebates.

I hate rebates anyway. If they can sell with a rebate, they can sell with instant markdown. The rebates are simply a waste of consumers time in hopes that the consumer will not send them in.

Personally I tend to look at products that don't have the rebate mark down. I look at the products that are cheaper initially.
30 Mar 2010 ~ 10:41am BuddyJ Unfortunately, this means no more OCZ Freeze thermal paste. That's really a shame since it's really easy to apply, performs admirably and is inexpensive.
30 Mar 2010 ~ 10:48am Cliff_Forster

Buddy J wrote:

Unfortunately, this means no more OCZ Freeze thermal paste. That's really a shame since it's really easy to apply, performs admirably and is inexpensive.

That stuff is pretty good.

Icrontic should take advantage of the potential panic! Post affiliate links to all of OCZ's soon to be discontinued products pronto!!