Pull the Plug! The 10 Most Short-Lived Gadgets

Here's a riddle you can take into the weekend: Which has a longer lifespan, the Arabidopsis Thaliana, a North African flowering plant, or the KIN, the latest smartphone to come from Microsoft? Give up? It's a trick question. Like a freshly sprouted Thaliana, the KIN lived for just six weeks! When we heard the Redmond, Washington-based company was going to cut its new phone's lifeline so early, we couldn

3Com Ergo Audrey

Lifespan: October 2000—June 2001

Price: $499.99

Pushed As: Lifestyle organizer

Why It Failed: Named after Audrey Hepburn, the Ergo Audrey lacked the elegance and grace to make an impact on the market. The need for a dial-up or Ethernet connection, limited browser support, and a difficult learning curve served as the gadget's downfall.

Apple Power Mac G4 Cube

Lifespan: July 2000—July 2001

Price: $1,599.99

Pushed As: Future of the Power Mac

Why It Failed: The G4 Cube was Steve Jobs' pride-and-joy. The Cube was a work of art, a full-powered, quiet desktop machine floating in a clear plastic case. Too bad it was slow and extremely overpriced.

DataPlay Discs

Lifespan: March 2001—October 2002

Price: $9.99

Pushed As: Compact-disc replacement

Why It Failed: Its quarter-sized frame was cool, but media consumers found the price of CD-Rs and CD-RWs more fitting. Pre-loaded music discs came with extra features that were annoying to unlock and its write-once capability didn't bode well for those looking to use the discs as back-up storage.

Microsoft Smart Display

Lifespan: March 2002—December 2003

Price: $899.99

Pushed As: The first tablet PC

Why It Failed: Codenamed the Mira, Smart Displays were supposed to enable users to use their desktop Windows machines while sitting on their couches or while in the kitchen. It preempted the tablet movement, only the Smart Display merely mirrored a desktop running on the same home network. Microsoft partnered with a bunch of hardware manufactuers, but wound up cancelling the program in 2003 after dismal sales.

Palm Foleo

Lifespan: May 2007—September 2007

Price: $499

Pushed As: Laptop for your smartphone

Why It Failed: The Folio was supposed to provide an easier way for Palm users to write and receive emails, edit their calendars, and type up memos and notes—all things you could already do on your Palm smartphone. Or your computer. It's easy to see why this one didn't make it.

HD DVD

Lifespan: March 2006—June 2008

Price: $499.99 (player), $29.99—$39.99 (DVD)

Pushed As: Successor to the DVD

Why It Failed: Setting off the media format wars, HD DVD reigned supreme for a few months until Blu-ray came through with a gang of support from companies like Disney and Sony. Overpriced players, less of storage space, and lack of retailer and studio support all pounded nails into HD DVD's coffin.