iRobot Verro 100 Pool Robot Now In Stock

iRobot's 2008 line of pool robots is now complete, with the $399 iRobot Verro 100 Pool Robot now in stock at iRobot.com.
(iRobot has a free shipping deal, and all accessories are 10% off with coupon code RSN10 at checkout.)
This new product has the potential to substantially expand sales of the Verro pool robot line, as the cheapest Verro previously had been the similar Verro 300 at $799 list -- more than many folks are willing to pay even if it saves a TON of labor.

iRobot now has four iRobot Verro Pool Robots, including the new $999 Verro 500, ranging from $399 to $1199, and while the Verro line hasn't been a blockbuster, it has worked as an effective tool for free media coverage and offers cross-selling opportunities for iRobot's base of technically savvy, robot-loving, high-income consumers. Pool cleaning is a chore that many folks hate, or spend lots to pay someone else to do, and so is a natural for robotics. Indeed, pool robots have been around for a long time, and the Verro is a rebadged Aquabot, an American company that has been around for ages.

More importantly, the Verro 100 is now in line price wise with iRobot's other products, Roomba and Scooba, which have models topping out at $399 and $499. I wonder if there is any chance iRobot could launch "Store within a Store" concepts at, say, Sears, where Verro 100, Roomba, Scooba and Looj can be sold? (I've often suggested that iRobot should open up its own stores in high-traffic malls, the same tactic that worked for Apple in winning over skeptics to a new paradigm.) Sears, which already has perhaps the best sales staff anywhere for appliances, could have one staffer manning the iRobot area, and have it straddle the zone between hardware and appliances. I'm convinced that having people see iRobot products in action, to take the mystery out of whether they work or not, is the key to "crossing the chasm" into mainstream adoption. Sitting on a shelf at Target simply won't cut it.