When we look back at the past 45 years of technological progress, the pace of change is staggering.
We have evolved from bulky desktops to smart mobile devices, augmented reality and artificial intelligence embedded in our daily lives. Yet, through all these seismic technological leaps, there has been one constant: how do we, as humans, bridge the physical gap between ourselves and the digital experiences we create?
For 45 years, Logitech has been the answer to that question. Our mission is to extend human potential in work and play. Our products are a natural, sensory connection between human and machine. They extend our ears, eyes and hands into the digital world. The mouse and keyboard are our touch; the mic and headset our voice; speakers and headsets help us hear; our webcams to see.
As Logitech celebrates its 45th anniversary today, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and tour these past decades, exploring how a startup in a Swiss village became a global powerhouse in design-led, software and AI-enabled hardware.
The 1980s: the dawn of the graphical interface
The story begins in a transformative era of personal computing. In 1981, IBM launched a graphical PC retailing at about $1,500, proving computers can be personal, affordable and offer a standard platform to develop from.
Silicon Valley was on fire with innovation, and three founders – Daniel Borel, Pierluigi Zappacosta and Giacomo Marini – decided to carve out their own piece of history.
Based out of a Vaudois farm building in the village of Apples, they called their company Logitech – a mix of Logi (short for the French for software, “logiciel”) and tech (“technologie”). What they didn’t predict was that the company’s destiny would be in hardware – the type of hardware that enabled users to navigate the graphical interfaces of these new personal computers.
Logitech’s first mouse was the P4 (launched in 1982). Originally designed in the late 70s by André Guignard and Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud of the EPFL – and inspired by Doug Engelbart’s original mouse invented in the mid 60s – the Logitech version was supplied as OEM hardware for computers from the likes of DEC, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Convergent Technologies.
This mouse, and the many others that followed, helped build Logitech’s house.
The 1990s: Adding Senses and Cutting the Cord
If the 80s were about navigating local interfaces, the 90s were about connecting to the world.
The World Wide Web was born and PC shipments accelerated from 25 million in 1991 at the start of the decade to 114 million in 1999. In 1995, CompuServe and America Online started providing dial-up Internet access, and Yahoo was founded. Google followed in 1998. By 1999, up to 248 million people were connected globally.
The PC, internet and connected users were the building blocks on which the PC revolution was based and Logitech innovated.
Logitech realized early on that we could connect human and machine by more than the touch of a mouse. We introduced the FotoMan in 1991 (an early digital still camera) and the AudioMan in 1992 (an all-in-one PC microphone and speaker), effectively giving the personal computer sight, voice and hearing.
We also laid the foundation stones of what is today our Gaming category – Logitech G. We announced WingMan, a joystick for PC gaming – the first time Logitech made a product specifically for gaming. And we introduced the WingMan Force Feedback mouse and Wingman Formula Force wheel. Both used force feedback technologies – an early use of haptics that today we find in MX Master 4 mouse, Spotlight 2 presenter, Pro X3 Superstrike and more. The Wingman wheel also foreshadowed the kind of partnerships we consider the norm at Logitech today. We worked with Sony for Gran Turismo on PlayStation 2, just as we partner with so many today – from Meta, Zoom and Apple to McLaren.
The 2000s: designing for a mobile world
The turn of the millennium brought the dot-com crash, but it quickly gave way to a new breed of internet company: Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006) connected people, setting up today’s social media stall; YouTube (2005) laid the foundations for the creator economy and shared creativity.
Apple triggered the mobile revolution too. It started with a song – or rather 1,000, all packed in an Apple iPod (2001). By 2007, the iPhone had launched. The iTunes and App Store ecosystems also launched this decade.
PCs continued to ship in the millions – from 140 million in 2000 to 308 million in 2009. But the speed with which the mobile revolution hit is apparent in the numbers: 174 million smartphones shipped in 2009. It took PCs over twenty years to reach such volumes; it took multitouch smartphones just three.
As always, Logitech was at the forefront of connecting people to this increasingly diverse digital world, with accessories that enhanced the experience at every touchpoint. We introduced our first mobile accessory in the form of a flexible keyboard for the PalmPilot – the KeyCase PalmPilot flexible keyboard. We supported the PlayStation 2 with products like the Cordless Controller (the first 2.4GHz gaming controller) and at Sony’s request, EyeToy (the first camera for Playstation). We also introduced IO, a digital pen, and credit card-size Pocket Digital Camera – 1.3 cm thick, holding up to 52 images at 1.3 megapixel resolution. And we unveiled Harmony One, an iconic one-touch universal remote.
The core mouse business saw massive leaps forward, too. The 2000s saw the death of the trackball mouse as optical sensors took over, starting with the Wheel mouse. In 2008, a legend was born: the MX Revolution, the very first of the premium MX line that dominates professional desktops today. Gamers were also treated to the G5 and G7 mice, featuring adjustable weights and cordless 1kHz performance.
The 2010s: the creator and cloud renaissance
By the 2010s, smartphones were ubiquitous, and the cloud had changed how we work, play and create.
This was the decade that put broadcast-ready creation tools in the hands of individuals making movies and music. Similar tools allowed solo developers and small indie teams to build critically acclaimed video games. And the introduction of the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil in 2015 turned tablets into digital art studios.
Logitech’s iPad ultrathin keyboard cover became the other half of people’s iPads. It was the first product of what became our tablet accessories business.
We also disrupted the video conferencing market with a series of camera launches that laid the foundation for today’s Video Collaboration category. The first in this lineage was the $250 BCC950 ConferenceCam, released in 2012.
As ever, we continued to innovate for gamers, including pro gamers, to gain insights and design products that sit at the cutting edge of the game. The G Pro wireless gaming mouse helped prove to gamers that Logitech wireless performed as fast and reliably as any corded product.
The 2020s: Artificial Intelligence and Beyond
Today, Logitech’s products are at the heart of the exciting developments in the age of AI.
We use AI at the device level – the edge – for superior audio and video, and to provide insights to improve speed, accuracy, and even air quality and room occupancy. We have already launched multiple products that leverage AI and machine learning for superior performance, like our Sight VC camera, Rally AI cameras and our Zone 2 Wireless Headset.
We use AI daily to accelerate and augment our work, and the work of others. The PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE gaming mouse went from prototype to a hugely successful launch in under a year. And last year we announced an AI streaming agent launched with NVIDIA.
Lastly, in the age of AI, hardware is undergoing a renaissance. China is at the forefront of this. There are hundreds, even thousands, of hardware-based AI assistants in the market already. In the West, there are fewer AI assistants yet, but they will come. Humans need natural ways to connect with AI. There will be much opportunity for Logitech innovation in existing and new categories in the years to come.
In this renaissance, it’s a great time to be Logitech: a global player in design-led, software and AI-enabled hardware.
45 years of iconic
As we celebrate our 45th anniversary, it’s an exciting time for Logitech. There are numerous constants that have carried us through the past and will remain with us into the future: Our commitment to innovation in tech, design, sustainability and in our ways of working. Our unique culture and values – the humility, the passion and hunger, the collaboration and the willingness to challenge and do better. As co-founder Daniel Borel likes to say: “Success is never final”.
These constants will carry Logitech into the next 45 years – right at the point of connection between people and the digital world.
