Logitech

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Logitech

Type	Public (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ ADRs: LOGI)
Founded	1981
Headquarters	Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland Fremont, California, USA
Key people	Guerrino De Luca, President and CEO
Industry	Peripherals
Products	Peripherals
Revenue	$1.482 billion USD (2005)
Employees	8,000
Website	www.logitech.com

Logitech's Silicon Valley office in Fremont

Logitech International S.A. (SWX: LOGN, NASDAQ: LOGI), headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, is the holding company for Logitech Group, an industry leader in the personal peripheral market. Logitech produces peripheral devices for PCs, gaming consoles, mobile phones and personal music devices. For presence in the digital home market, the company acquired Canada-based Intrigue Technology, which manufactures the Harmony Remote.

Logitech's registered office is located in Apples, Switzerland, and has offices in Fremont, California as well as throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Logitech's sales and marketing activities are organized into three geographic regions: Americas (including North America, South America, and Australia); Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and Asia Pacific.

1 Brand names
2 History
3 Production
4 Products
- 4.1 Gallery of products
5 Competitors
6 See also
7 External links
- 7.1 Articles

[edit] Brand names

In the Japanese market, Logitech uses the brand name Logicool since a Logitec that focuses on computer peripheral devices has existed in that country since 1982, and its parent company has used the Logitec brand name since 1974. In the UK, Logitech trades under 'Logi (UK) Ltd'; a 'Logitech' based in Glasgow, Scotland manufactures precision cutting, lapping and polishing equipment for the materials processing industry. In Australia, Logitech uses its own name: the IT supply company Logi-Tech website helpfully offers a link to Logitech Australia. In Canada, Logitech International uses its own name without conflict with Logitech Electronics, an InterTAN Canada Ltd. supplier of consumer electronics since 1988.

[edit] History

Logitech International S.A. was co-founded in Apples, Vaud, Switzerland, in 1981 by two former Stanford graduate students, Daniel Borel and Pierluigi Zappacosta, and Giacomo Marini, formerly a manager at Olivetti.

Logitech became well known for its mass-marketed computer mice, which were improved versions of a product first developed at LAMI, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud and engineer André Guignard evolved the design of the computer mouse originally invented by Douglas Engelbart.

For a time during its formative years, Logitech's Silicon Valley offices occupied space at 165 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California, home to a number of noted technology startups.

[edit] Production

The first Logitech mice were produced in Le Lieu, Swiss Jura by Dubois Depraz SA.

The production facility was then established in the US, Taiwan, Ireland and moved subsequently to Suzhou, China. As of 2005, the manufacturing operations in China produce approximately half of Logitech's products. The remaining production is outsourced to contract manufacturers and original design manufacturers in Asia.

[edit] Products

Keyboards, Mice and Trackballs (wired, wireless and Bluetooth models).
Webcams
Joysticks
Speakers Including 2.0 Stereophonic sound and 5.1 Surround Sound systems. Also iPod/PSP speaker docks, and MP3 player speakers are available.
PC & Mac, Xbox and PS2 gaming hardware. Including Game controllers, Joysticks and Racing Wheels.
Headphones with and without Microphones, standalone mics and Bluetooth mics.
iPod,MP3 player and mobile phone accessories.
Harmony remote control.
Wireless Music Systems.
io2 Digital Writing System.
3Dconnexion controllers.
The Playgear Collection of accessories for the Playstation Portable.
Gaming oriented Logitech G15 keyboards

[edit] Gallery of products

A Logitech G5 laser gaming mouse, which comes with interchangable weights.	The Logitech TrackMan Trackball.	The Logitech Cordless MouseMan Pro (199?).	A Logitech MX900 Bluetooth Optical Mouse designed for desktop use.
A Logitech precision usb gamepad.

[edit] Competitors

Logitech’s main competitors in the computer peripheral market are Microsoft's line of input devices and Razer USA Ltd with their range of gamer-focused mice and products, as well as other brands such as the Taiwanese Genius, the Canadian Ideazon, and Creative from Singapore. As the computer peripheral and gaming accessories market is constantly growing, so does the competition.^{[citation needed]} Logitech faces serious competition from lesser-known generic or local brands in several countries, as well as well-established companies which are now investing in the computer peripheral market.^{[citation needed]}