Yahoo Acquires Konfabulator
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Written By Reprise Media | July 25, 2005 | Share This
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Konfabulator is the maker of desktop widgets that allow you to complete some very specialized tasks, such as obsesssing over your eBay feedback and seeing random Ned Flanders quotes at will.
The three-person firm just been acquired by Yahoo to the surprise of many who expected Konfabulator to go belly up when Apple integrated its own widget environment into the latest version of OS X. The fact that Konfabulator was able to build out its originally Mac-only offering with the release of a Windows version probably had something to do with it.
This is a good move for Yahoo and one that will make it easier for them to unite their disparate services, push content out to users, and strengthen consumer loyalty. Anything that makes its platform more accessible and is easy enough for non tech-savvy users to grasp is sure to have a strong viral pull, something Yahoo needs right now in the face of stiff competition from Google and Microsoft.
The Konfabulator home page has a light-hearted yet chock full-of-facts story containing details of the buy and what it’s going to mean to their company. They manage to do it in a way that’s entertaining, funny, and factual. What more could you want?
Oh yea… your money back if you bought Konfabulator, considering the Yahoo acquisition has now rendered it free. Fear not, the firm says that everyone who bought version 2.0 or later will get a full refund.
More in this article in the Seattle Times.
Topics: Investment, M&A |