What simply occurred? Bear in mind the Jamboard, Google’s 55-inch 4K digital whiteboard that was basically the corporate’s tackle the Microsoft Floor Hub? Until your small business or place of training makes use of one, you would be forgiven in the event that they’d slipped your thoughts. Now, Google has introduced the $5,000 gadget 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 might collaborate on initiatives even when individuals have been in numerous places. Not too surprisingly, the reveal got here a couple of months after Microsoft’s comparable Floor Hub, which price $8,999 for the 55-inch model and $21,999 for the 84-inch model, proved so fashionable that manufacturing needed to be ramped up.
The Jamboard packed a quad-core Nvidia Jetson TX1 SoC, built-in HD digicam, audio system, microphone, and Wi-Fi. Google boasted that it might acknowledge as much as 16 simultaneous contact inputs, and its passive stylus (no batteries or Bluetooth connection required) could have seemed chunky, however it might draw a line simply 1mm thick. It additionally got here with a spherical eraser, although it was potential to make use of a finger to take away content material. Rounding off the specs have been USB and HDMI ports, and you would even roll it round on the (costly non-obligatory additional) cellular stand.
Most likely a very powerful component of the Jamboard was its distant collaboration options. Groups from all over the world might watch and contribute to “jam” classes utilizing their very own Jamboards, and other people might observe alongside and contribute utilizing a smartphone app. It additionally supplied 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 now not obtain software program updates after September 30, 2024, the identical day its license subscriptions expire.
Any corporations or faculties 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 instructional 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 information or migrate it,” Google mentioned, including that it’s going to assist prospects “transition” to third-party whiteboard apps like Figma, Lucid Software program, and Miro. They’ll 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 assist payment” and a Google Workspace subscription for each consumer. There was additionally the $1,350 wheel stand for individuals who wanted it.