Connectix
A month or so ago, Connectix and Microsoft announced that MS would be acquiring Connectix’s Virtual PC product line, including key IP, development, sales, support & marketing personnel.

In the various analysis I have read of the deal, most commentators note that it is odd they didn’t just buy the company outright, and point to an uncertain future for Connectix. What they seem to be forgetting is that Connectix has done this before. They built one of the first inexpensive “webcams” and ended up selling the business to Logitech. Before that, they had a successful Macintosh memory manager that thrived until RAM prices came down and apple improved their own virtual memory subsystem. I’m sure they did pretty well getting Microsoft to bundle it with Word6 for the Mac.

It appears to me that Connectix is a company that is good at exploiting small niches and then moving on when the niche is either plays out or matures to the point it is no longer interesting. I’m wondering what they are cooking up next.