Harmony Discontinued: The Rise and Fall of the Universal Remote Control
Logitech's announcement that it has ceased production of Harmony marked an important milestone in the decline of a once critical product category, the universal remote control. For almost two decades the iconic clicker has tamed over-abundances of remotes on coffee tables the world over. But why would one of the most widely loved and objectively successful products just shut down? Sure, universal remotes often arrived into our living-rooms as mere accessories to more important devices in our home audio/video systems. But of all of our electronics, the universal remote control is the one we held in our hands as we'd lovingly wipe away the Cheeto dust and sometimes search for in the couch cushions. What does the loss of Harmony say about the ever-changing consumer electronics market itself, and where do we go from here?
It’s difficult to imagine a time when the universal remote didn’t exist. It was such an obvious solution by the early 80s when cable TV and VCRs became permanent fixtures atop wooden floor model TVs. We may not have known it at the time, but the era of the set-top-box had begun. The VCR would revolutionize our viewing habits, but at the dawn of the 80s it still had a controversial and uncertain future. By 1984 Sony won its landmark case against Universal Studios, unequivocally granting permission to record broadcast TV for playback anytime over the fledgling VCR. The future of the set-top-box and a corresponding flood of remote controls was now unstoppable.
