Pearl Automation, the vehicle accessory company founded by ex-Apple engineers and which debuted its $500 "RearVision" wireless backup camera system just one year ago, has shut down following poor sales of the device, reports Axios.

pearl rearvision device

What happened: Early product sales disappointed, which was exacerbated by a high burn rate.

What next? The Pearl Automation team received several "acqui-hire" offers, but opted instead to shut down and part ways, according to a source close to the situation.

RearVision, which went on sale last September, was a license plate frame with dual HD cameras, solar power, and Bluetooth to wirelessly connect to an OBD port hub and an iPhone or Android phone. While it was a slick and easy to install system, the $500 price tag undoubtedly contributed to its downfall.

Pearl appears to have had larger ambitions related to autonomous driving technology and driver safety, but with its initial project suffering from poor sales, the company lacked the resources to push forward on its follow-up products.

Tags: Pearl, RearVision

Top Rated Comments

wlossw Avatar
wlossw
98 months ago
The kind of people willing to spend 500$ on this kind of thing already drive a car with a backup camera...
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
98 months ago
Yeeeah, backup cameras are mature technology that shouldn't cost $500. Not surprised it failed.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
Apple_Robert
98 months ago
I think at $125.00, they would have faired much better, especially for those who would like to have the new technology fot a slightly older car.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mouse man Avatar
Mouse man
98 months ago
Yep. Saw that one comin'. ('https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/23043116/')
We should give you a cookie
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
levitynyc
98 months ago
Being all new cars will be required to have a backup camera by 2018, they should've seen the writing on the wall for this.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
oneMadRssn
98 months ago
Yea, when a wireless license-plate frame backup camera with a wireless 7" LCD screen costs about $60-75, this product was immediately a non-starter. I don't care how much better their design and software was, nobody is going to pay nearly 10x for it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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