Blue Microphones was ahead of the game. The first Snowball was released all the way back in 2005, as the company was celebrating its 10th birthday. Within a few years, the USB mics were everywhere. They were effectively synonymous with the nascent world of amateur podcasting and became a go-to for first-time content creators uploading video to a brand-new site called YouTube.
A few years later, the company released another game changer in the form of the Yeti – a step up from the Snowball in terms of sound, functionality and, naturally, price. There have been other additions to the consumer line, including the ultra portable Raspberry and Mo-Fi over ear headphones, but the Snowball and Yeti have long remained brand tentpoles.
While the company has made plenty of higher-end audio products over the years, it’s clear that consumer products generally – and the Yeti specifically – were what Logitech was most interested in when it purchased the brand in 2018. The company was rolled into the peripheral maker’s portfolio, while retaining its own brand identity.
“Logitech is delighted to welcome all Blue employees plus contractors to Logitech,” a spokesperson told me at the time. “The brand is also welcomed into Logitech’s broader portfolio.”
It seems that Logitech is ready to end that era, however, sunsetting the Blue branding, as its products are being absorbed into its G line. The company confirmed the move in a related FAQ, writing, “We will be keeping the Yeti brand and moving it under Logitech G. The Blue name will be used to describe our technologies.”
The example it gives for the latter is BLUEVO!CE, a noise reduction technology that Logitech uses on its headsets. Effectively, the Blue Yeti is now the Logitech G Yeti. Based on the language offered up here, things don’t bode well for the continued existence of the Snowball and other non-Yeti Blue products. We’ve reached out to Logitech for clarification.
It’s clear that Logitech always saw the Yeti as a game-streaming accessory, a case its continued to make over the years to the point of phasing out Blue altogether. The company’s Astro brand is also being moved under the G line, but the name will live to see another day.
“Astro will continue to live on as a premium console audio product series underneath the Logitech G brand,” it writes. “Stay tuned for more information regarding Astro, including a launch that we think our community will be very excited about.”
Update: Blue cofounder (and current president of Stray Electrons) Skipper Wise offered the following comment on the news,
As the founders of Blue Microphones, we would like to thank everyone who has purchased and enjoyed a Blue mic. We’re proud of our creative and technological achievements in changing the way microphones are designed, manufactured, and employed by millions of musicians, engineers, podcasters, streamers, gamers and more. From revered high-end studio microphones to pioneering prosumer analog and digital USB mics, we led the way in designing and manufacturing of some of the most iconic and influential recording tools of the last 30+ years. And we’re delighted that these legacy Blue mics will continue to be part of the sonic landscape for years to come.
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