Matrox Launches The G550

The G550 Positioning Conundrum, Continued

The PowerPoint demonstration is compelling for those of you who are presentation junkies. I can't really say that it makes for a compelling purchase decision, but it might work at a conference, or in a meeting room. However, taking the same tack and applying it to instant messaging or customer support requires you to believe that the addition of a talking head is going to drive G550 adoption for graphics when the real problem is a communication one. In other words, seeing a talking head isn't what's holding back CRM or instant messaging. I'm not sure what is, if anything, but this isn't it.

Matrox provided this chart based on survey information from Nua Internet Surveys. This is one of the arguments the company uses to emphasize the potential appeal of G550 because, it inherently works better for users with low bandwidth connections

This is definitely not a product that is going to satisfy hard core gamers, and it makes few new arguments for business users either. Had Matrox merely focused on improvements to the G450 and in having the fastest dual-screen, Windows accelerator, the G550 may have come across as a more interesting, better positioned product. As it stands right now, the 3D positioning is simply a distraction.

But, that shouldn't stop people from considering it on its 2D merits.

It's also worth noting that Matrox' products continue to have a loyal user base in the corproate world. For example, Matrox' multi-display technology has been around in the financial world, driving traders' screens, for a number of years. The G550 doesn't push the 3D envelope, but it can still be viewed as refreshing the aging Millennium product line, and there are a heck of a lot of those boards out there.