YAMAHA HAS SAID IT WILL WITHDRAW from the CD-R/RW business at the end of March. They said that the middle to high-end market for CD writing equipment had shrunk dramatically. The company has been in the CD writer business for nearly nine years and has primarily focussed on the professional market. With the prevalence of cheap CD writers, these days it's hard to buy a machine without one, the top end of the market is almost non-existent. Instead of trying to flog a seemingly dead horse, Yamaha has decided to call it a day. It has decided to put its efforts into home theatre equipment, a market that is growing rapidly.
The CD writer business has now definitely become a playground for low cost product. With Yamaha's move we wonder how long it will be before others follow suit. There can be no doubt that the DVD writer market will be next, it's just a question of how long.
News source: The Inq
