Let’s pause for a moment and look at another hot topic: technology. It seems there is a new phone or other fancy gadget being released every day. While some pieces of tech are instant hits or have lasting power, others, for various reasons, aren’t so lucky, as a recent CNN article reminds us.
Check out these dud devices:
• The Amazon Fire Phone was released this past June, but unlike its name, its reception has been ice cold. It was first made available at $200, and now it can be yours for just 99 cents. Hmm. One problem is that you can only get it through AT&T. Another drawback is that it operates on an OS system unfamiliar to all the Apple and Android folks out there, not to mention its lack of many top apps.
• Remember the Microsoft Zune? We don’t know a single person who has one of these. This MP3 player was launched in 2006 in an attempt to share the market space with the iPod. Mission unaccomplished. Despite Microsoft’s attempts to sell the shareability between the Zune and its media library, the Zune topped out at a measly 1% of the market share.
• The PlayBook was BlackBerry’s attempt to rebound in 2010 after its smartphones’ popularity plummeted. However, this would-be tablet did not include email access, Messenger, address books, calendars, or, worst of all, access to 3G Internet. Not surprisingly, PlayBook sales struggled mightily, contributing to a $500 million loss on BlackBerry’s part. They worked to fix the problems, but by the time they did, the iPad was already king.
• The Surface is Microsoft’s version of the iPad. Never heard of it? Good, ‘cause neither have we. Apparently, the NFL hasn’t either. Supposedly, Microsoft paid them $400 million to advertise their tablets during game broadcasts, but the announcers still referred to them as iPads. That’s embarrassing.
• Tech giant Apple isn’t immune to flops either. While it’s a powerhouse now, just 21 years ago it released a loser in the Newton MessagePad, which CNN calls the proto-iPad. Despite its ability to send faxes and perform other functions that were impressive at the time (it had a stylus!), only a few hundred thousand units sold before an unimpressed Steve Jobs yanked it for good in 1998.
• “But what about Google?” you ask. “Surely mighty Google has never rolled out a dud like the ones listed above.” You’re right: Their dud was panned to death before it even went to market. Sorry to burst your bubble, which is what the Nexus Q kind of resembled (see photo above). This bizarre-looking spherical gizmo could stream media from YouTube and Google Play. It could also…serve as a doorstop? Look like a ball? Seriously, it had one function and it cost $300. Pre-launch reviews were so bad that Google never brought the device to market. They did give free units to people who pre-ordered it, so that was nice.
Check out these dud devices:
• The Amazon Fire Phone was released this past June, but unlike its name, its reception has been ice cold. It was first made available at $200, and now it can be yours for just 99 cents. Hmm. One problem is that you can only get it through AT&T. Another drawback is that it operates on an OS system unfamiliar to all the Apple and Android folks out there, not to mention its lack of many top apps.
• Remember the Microsoft Zune? We don’t know a single person who has one of these. This MP3 player was launched in 2006 in an attempt to share the market space with the iPod. Mission unaccomplished. Despite Microsoft’s attempts to sell the shareability between the Zune and its media library, the Zune topped out at a measly 1% of the market share.
• The PlayBook was BlackBerry’s attempt to rebound in 2010 after its smartphones’ popularity plummeted. However, this would-be tablet did not include email access, Messenger, address books, calendars, or, worst of all, access to 3G Internet. Not surprisingly, PlayBook sales struggled mightily, contributing to a $500 million loss on BlackBerry’s part. They worked to fix the problems, but by the time they did, the iPad was already king.
• The Surface is Microsoft’s version of the iPad. Never heard of it? Good, ‘cause neither have we. Apparently, the NFL hasn’t either. Supposedly, Microsoft paid them $400 million to advertise their tablets during game broadcasts, but the announcers still referred to them as iPads. That’s embarrassing.
• Tech giant Apple isn’t immune to flops either. While it’s a powerhouse now, just 21 years ago it released a loser in the Newton MessagePad, which CNN calls the proto-iPad. Despite its ability to send faxes and perform other functions that were impressive at the time (it had a stylus!), only a few hundred thousand units sold before an unimpressed Steve Jobs yanked it for good in 1998.
• “But what about Google?” you ask. “Surely mighty Google has never rolled out a dud like the ones listed above.” You’re right: Their dud was panned to death before it even went to market. Sorry to burst your bubble, which is what the Nexus Q kind of resembled (see photo above). This bizarre-looking spherical gizmo could stream media from YouTube and Google Play. It could also…serve as a doorstop? Look like a ball? Seriously, it had one function and it cost $300. Pre-launch reviews were so bad that Google never brought the device to market. They did give free units to people who pre-ordered it, so that was nice.