Rest in Peace Joojoo. But Wait, there’s More to That

In an interview with e27, Fusion Garage founder Chandrashekar Rathakrishnan said that the Joojoo tablet is at “its end of life”.

The device, which only runs web-based applications, is the main reason of its demise. Chandra said that the market wanted more than that. It’s crucial to provide web and non-web experience, both of which Apple’s iPad did extremely well with thousands of applications supported by enthusiastic developers.

However, all efforts aren’t wasted. Chandra mentioned transportation companies, hospitals and advertising agencies are interested in customized version of the Joojoo. So we would expect Fusion Garage’s future strategy to be more B2B centric. The technology behind Joojoo will be used to build customized solutions for companies but it’s not revealed how much it would cost to engage its service.

That said, I’m optimistic that providing tablet-based customized solution for businesses is a domain worth exploring. I previously worked on a similar project and learned that many businesses have the intention to integrate the iPad to support their daily business needs. These needs could range from gathering consumer insights to inventory management. Unfortunately, cost is usually the biggest obstacle toward this vision. One of the business owners said that the iPad has way too many functions that businesses don’t need. A stripped down version tailored to business needs would certainly be more cost effective.

Despite Joojoo’s poor performance, Chandra still managed to raise US$5 million in new funds from Asian-based investors. That took the total funding to US$8 million. We shall see how Joojoo’s technology would evolve into a highly demanded product.