The Most Short-Lived Gadgets of All Time

The Most Short-Lived Gadgets of All Time

Jun 29, 2014
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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

While the success rates for new tech products entering the market have improved over the past two decades, the overall rate of failure remains ever higher. In other words, not every awesome-looking, super-high-tech gadget is made to become a financial hit or industry game-changer. Even the greats from Apple to Microsoft released imminent hardware that flopped harder than Lebron James on an NBA court. Considering the weak response behind the upcoming Amazon Fire Phone, many analysts are already quick to call it DOA. But before we dub the ecommerce giant’s latest tech venture, it’s only right to revisit the failed ventures of the past, which carried the tersest shelf lives on record. Come take a look at the Most Short-Lived Gadgets of All Time.

Modo

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Lifespan: August 2000 - October 2000

Price: $107

Pushed as: First-ever social-networking device

Why it failed: Ahead of its time when released, the Modo looked great on paper: an IDEO-designed device running the software that would go on to power the original iPod, using beeper networks to deliver city-specific news, restaurant reviews, and movie listings. Despite strong advertising in its three launch markets—NYC, L.A., and SF—the company was forced to close down when its main investors experienced heavy financial problems and pulled out.

Kerbango Internet Radio

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Lifespan:  June 2000 - March 2001

Price: $300

Pushed as: First Internet radio

Why it failed: Hardcore techies remember this as the first stand-alone device to stream Internet radio without the use of a computer. Too bad the company never realized broadband was considered a luxury most web users couldn't afford at the time. Numerous delays and an $80-million buyout by 3Com pretty much kept it frozen in the pre-production phase.

3Com Ergo Audrey

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Lifespan: October 2000 - June 2001

Price: $500

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

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Lifespan: July 2000 - July 2001

Price: $1,600

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

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Lifespan: March 2001 - October 2002

Price: $10

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.

Sony eVilla

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Lifespan:  June 2001 – September 2001

Price: $500

Pushed as: The must-have network entertainment center

Why it failed: Analysts say the ever-changing nature of the Net killed off Sony’s micro-Web machine, where as reviewers attributed the eVilla’s death to its terrible performance and the consumer market’s need for cheap Windows PCs. Truth was nobody cared for an Internet appliance capable of getting users online by “eliminating the common hassles of connecting” to read emails. There, we said it.

Microsoft Smart Display

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Lifespan: March 2002 - December 2003

Price: $900

Pushed ss: 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, though 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.

Gizmondo

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Lifespan: March 2005 - February 2006

Price: $400

Pushed as: The most high-powered portable gaming system 

Why it failed: After its founder and CEO became infamous for crashing his Ferrari Enzo and getting locked up, the company managed to push out only eight games! Satoru Iwata didn't even break a sweat.

Motorola ROKR E1

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Lifespan: September 2005 - September 2006

Price: $250

Pushed as: Apple's first attempt at making an iPhone

Why it failed: The ROKR had a sluggish interface, no USB connection, and limited memory and firmware that only allowed for 100 songs to be stored on the phone at a time. This all caused for a very un-Apple-like experience. Eventually, Steve and Co. said, eff it, dropped the iPod Nano, and went on to develop the iPhone.

Palm Foleo

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Lifespan: May 2007 - September 2007

Price: $4,500

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

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Lifespan: March 2006 - June 2008

Price: $500 (player), $30—$3400 (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 storage space, and lack of retailer and studio support all pounded nails into HD DVD's coffin.

Microsoft KIN One and Two

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Lifespan: May 2010 - June 2010

Price: $150 (One), $200 (Two)

Pushed as: Ultimate social media smartphone

Why it failed: How could Microsoft push a social-networking handset that lacked instant messaging and memory slots, plus calendar and contact synchronization? Well, turns out it couldn't. 

HP TouchPad

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Lifespan: July 1 2011 – August 2011

Price: $500

Pushed as: iPad Killer

Why it failed: Upon acquiring Palm, the HP’s slate was supposed to be the flagship product in a new line of WebOS-based devices. A dynamic OS, intuitive features, and great hardware gave the TouchPad enough flair to compete against the iPad and future Google-operated tablets, but a slow start scared the PC giant into abandoning the device—announcing plans to leave the consumer-goods business in general. 

Cisco FlipLive

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Lifespan: Aborted before official release

Price: Unknown

Pushed as: Ultimate wireless video recorder

Why it failed: Before the shooters on smartphones evolved into high-quality recorders, every form of videographer shot raw footage using a Flip. The reveal of a new portable camera boasting the ability to broadcast live footage to the Internet over Wi-Fi was huge news. Then Cisco decided to not only cancel its best camera never released—a day before its official launch—but discontinue its entire lineup of popular consumer video cameras. Aint that some shit.

Google Nexus Q

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Lifespan: June 2012 – October 2012

Price: $300

Pushed as: The next media-streaming device

Why it failed: Google’s media-streaming orb garnered tons of buzz for its promising features and unique design. But charging three times the amount of an Apple TV and a lack of functionality doomed the Nexus Q, to the point where the Android kingpin pulled the plug on it before ever shipping it. Those who pre-ordered the device got their money back and were shipped one anyway for free.

HTC First

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Lifespan: April 2013 – May 2013

Price: $300

Pushed as: Unofficial Facebook phone

Why it failed: Never learning from its mistakes, the Taiwanese smartphone maker green-lit a second Facebook-inspired handset, which launched exclusively with the social network’s latest Android skin that promised to put people first: Facebook Home. Talk about a double-edged sword. A stripped-down OS, non-premium design, and the fact that Home was made available for other Android devices and iOS made it HTC’s biggest flop to date.

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