These days it is quite fashionable to get into the consumer electronics business. If you own some kinda brand, you want to take cheap Mp3 players coming out of Asia, slap your sticker on it, and sell it to the digital hordes who are craving new look devices. While that sounds well and good, it seems things don’t usually turn out that way. Virgin Electronics, the consumer electronics division of Virgin apparently has decided to call it quits, and basically will not be supporting the devices already out in the market. Their PR people have been making phone calls and asking folks to return devices and are discretely letting them know that music has stopped. Of course, the brand could comeback in some other form.

“If somebody buys one of our electronics products and likes the experience, they’re more likely to fly on our airline,” Richard Branson, the maverick billionaire had bragged back in the day. Oops. The idea was to take on Apple’s IPod. Virgin’s example shows that while its easy to get into the CE business, making money is a whole different thing. I think this is the first major brand calling it quits. IPod has struck again!