Creative may be about to follow Cisco's lead and withdraw from the pocket camcorder biz.

Cisco announced this week that it is killing off its Flip Video camera line, which it acquired when it bought Flip creator Pure Digital in 2009. Creative has been offering its Vado family of YouTube-centric camcorders for almost as long as Pure and Cisco have.

But maybe not for much longer.

While you can still buy a couple of second- and third-generation Vado HD models, Phil O'Shaughnessy, head of the company's corporate communications, told Reg Hardware: "Creative is currently not planning to introduce any new products in the pocket video camera category."

Of course, that's not an unequivocal cancellation along the lines of Cisco's announcement - Creative may change its mind - but it's certainly not a ringing endorsement of the product category either.

With tablets all getting video-capable cameras, many of them HD, and likewise gadgets such as media players - Apple's iPod Touch already has a video camera, and the next iPod Nano is expected to get one too - let alone all the smartphones with 720p HD video capture, there's less and less need for a separate quick'n'dirty camcorder.

That persuaded Cisco to shut down Flip, and it seems likely Creative has tacitly called time on its Vado range too. ®