Image via Complex Original
For every genius invention—the iPhone 5, Facebook, Tumblr—there are a dozen that, though somehow successful, were bad ideas from the beginning. Don't get us wrong, it's no easy task to constantly innovate and raise the bar for consumers. And, as you'll see, there are some ideas that have become popular despite the odds. Here, we present the 10 Tech Ideas That Should Have Failed But Didn't.
Nintendo Wii
Microsoft and Sony had already flooded the video game market with Xbox and Playstation consoles—every teenage boy's true first love. But in 2006, the Nintendo Wii was released to an unassuming public. Now, nearly six years later, the gaming system—first known, and beloved, for its wireless controllers and virtual console service—not only competes with Xbox and Playstation, but often leads in worldwide sales. Even Nate Silver could not have predicted this.
Nokia's Phone Reboot
The ever-powerful Apple brand casts a long and intimidating shadow, and, at times, it can be hard to believe another phone will ever be able to compete with the iPhone (although the Nexus 4 is giving it a run for its money). Add to the equation that Nokia has almost been an afterthought since the rise of iOS and Android software. Little did we know the Nokia Lumia 920 would come along and contend with today's top smartphones. To quote entrepreneur and NBA team owner Mark Cuban: the Lumia 920 "crushes the iPhone 5." Well then.
Rap Genius
Because what rap needs is three Ivy League, suburban-bred dudes telling us what exactly Jay-Z meant when he said "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one." Obviously, Marc Andreessen and his $15 million investment in the startup disagree, but we'll pass. Thanks but no thanks.
Google+
We still don't know why anyone uses this. Or as BuzzFeed editor Matt Buchanan so aptly put it: Even Googlers hate Google+.
Opera
For those unaware, Opera was first released as a paid browser, available only to those willing to pay a fee to surf the web, and though the fee was eventually dropped, Opera would soon get killed in the browser wars with Firefox and Internet Explorer. And yet, the little web browser that could still exists. It is currently featured on 120 million cellphones worldwide, is the only commercial web browser available for the Nintendo DS and Wii gaming systems, and is the one big web browser that still supports Windows 2000 in new releases.
Bing
Type "Why does Bing suck?" into its search engine and choose from any of the 628 results. As the old NBC promo goes: The more you know!
Third Party Paid Weather Apps
Here's a question: Why pay for weather apps like Solar and Weather Dial with poor functionality when you can get free ones? We'll wait.
$300 Consumer Headphones
We never saw it coming: high-priced, celebrity-backed headphones selling like hot cakes. The price tag alone—often upwards of $300, though that's often a steal—is enough to make you think twice. When the trend took off in 2009 America was in the midst of recovering from one of the worst economic pitfalls it had ever experienced. And what did people do with their money, they bought headphones. Lots and lots of headphones.
Pinterest's meteoric success is baffling—even now, nearly three years since it was launched in March 2010. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Pinterest "channels and encourages the most regrettable impulses of the social web; and siphons content from creative enclaves while offering almost nothing in return." That it has become so beloved by so many—it has over 20 million unique visitors a month—is surprising, especially given Facebook's social dominance.
iPad Mini
In 2010, Apple CEO and founder Steve Jobs, when discussing 7-inch tablets released by his competitors, said this: "These are among the reasons we think the current crop of seven-inch tablets are going to be DOA, dead on arrival. Their manufacturers will learn the painful lesson that their tablets are too small and increase the size next year, thereby abandoning both customers and developers who jumped on the seven-inch bandwagon with an orphan product. Sounds like lots of fun ahead. The seven-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad."
In October 2012 Apple released the iPad Mini, which is 7.9-inches, to positive reviews. Even Silicon Valley's beloved tech titan wasn't always right.