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Draft:List of commercial failures in technology

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This list names technological products that were mass-marketed and highly anticipated ahead of their launch, but are known to have failed commercially. Reasons for their failure include the products failing consumer expectations upon launch, the first round of units suffering defects, a controversy negatively affecting sales, or being the result of poor marketing, regardless of reception. In any case, these products failed to meet their companies' expectations needed to be considered successful, typically due to them failing on average to break even, resulting in the companies losing money.[1] These high-profile items tend to appear on lists of "tech failures" or "worst tech products".

Apple III (1980–1984)

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Apple III

The Apple III, released in November 1980 as the successor to Apple II, was the first Apple computer not designed by Steve Wozniak, but rather by a committee of engineers led by Steve Jobs. The Apple III was sold as a business computer and housed a 1.8 MHz Synertek 6502A or 6502B processor and 128 KB of dynamic RAM.[2] The Apple III was capable of resolutions of up to 560 × 192 pixels in black and white and up to 280 × 192 in up to 16 simultaneous colors, as well as displaying 80 columns and 24 rows of text, both capital and lowercase.[3]

The Apple III failed commercially for multiple reasons. The computer, initially priced between $4,340 (equivalent to $16,049 in 2023) and $7,800 depending on options, was deemed "absurdly" high even for professional users. In addition, the internal structure of the first batch of units, described as "a disaster" by The Daily Telegraph,[4] used an aluminum enclosure inside the plastic case as the heat sink instead of a cooling fan, reputedly to meet Steve Jobs' demands for a silent computer and reduce radio frequency interference emissions, a severe problem affecting the Apple II. The result was that the Apple III would overheat, with the components lacking airflow, the motherboard being distorted by the heat and some chips slipping out of their sockets. 20 percent of the units failed to work as a result of the chips slipping during their shipment. Apple's public relations department later suggested that users lift the front of their units and drop them six inches off the desktop in hopes of re-seating the chips. A revised edition, launched in December 1981 for $3,495, addressed the overheating problem.[5] Lastly, the Apple III shipped with an emulator mode that nominally ensured compatibility with Apple II software. However, many Apple II programs directly wrote on memory using PEEK and POKE commands, which did not align with the Apple III's memory structure.[6] InfoCorp, a research firm, estimated that Apple sold only 75,000 units in December 1983, when the company was forced to redesign the Apple III to meet the Federal Communications Commission's requirements for radio frequency interference. The new computer, Apple III Plus, at a price of $2,995, brought the figure to an estimated 120,000 units sold, but the brand's reputation remained poor, and it was discontinued in April 1984.[5] The original Apple III has been described as one of the worst computers of all time by PC World[7] and Maximum PC,[8] as well as one of the "20 spectacular failures" according to Byte[9] and one of "the 10 greatest flops in computer history" according to The Daily Telegraph.[4]

Coleco Adam (1983–1985)

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Coleco Adam

The Coleco Adam was Coleco's home computer released in October 1983, after the success of the company's video game console, ColecoVision, and against the backdrop of the ongoing video game crash.[10] Initially retailed for less than $750 (equivalent to $2,294 in 2023), it was a complete low-cost system that shipped with a 75-key typewriter-style keyboard, a daisy-wheel printer, one drive for a class of proprietary data cassettes called Digital Data Packs with the option of a second, a Zilog Z80A as its main processor, and 80 KB of RAM expandable to 144 KB, with 16 KB dedicated to the video display. It was also fully backwards-compatible with all ColecoVision game cartridges and accessories via its cartridge and expansion slots and was packaged with a word processor, two ColecoVision joysticks, and three Digital Data Packs, one containing a version of BASIC called SmartBASIC, one preformatted to store programs and files, and a native copy of Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom.[11][12]

The Adam was sold in two versions: as a standalone unit and as Expansion Module No. #3 for the ColecoVision, which upgraded it to a home computer. Jules H. Gilder of Byte praised the high-speed tape system in general despite it not using floppy disks and wrote "three cheers" for the keyboard, but criticized the lack of a COPY command for creating backups, called the manual for SmartBASIC the worst he had ever seen, questioned Coleco's decision to limit the computer's technical information to licensed developers, and raised the Adam's aforementioned reliability record. He found the machine's potential to not be fully realized and, believing it could fail like the Mattel Aquarius before it, recommended holding off purchasing one until Coleco fixed all the problems and delivered its promises.[11] Rushed into production ahead of Christmas 1983, the computer was plagued with numerous faults, with rates of returns of defective machines estimated to be as high as 60 percent. One dramatic fault was the system's ability to erase contents on a Digital Data Pack; this would result from a surge of electromagnetic energy emitted from the system's power supply on startup while the pack was left in the drive. The unusual daisy-chaining of the computer's components reduced the number of cables connected to the base, but also had the power supply located in the printer,[6] and many Adams were rendered useless due to defective printers. The Adam was a marketing disaster for Coleco, which had spent $258 million repairing the computers, and price reductions down to $300 and even vouchers for a $500 college scholarship could not compensate for its continued poor sales. Only about 95,000 units were shipped by the end of 1983, a far cry from the original promise of 500,000,[13] and Coleco discontinued the Adam in January 1985.[14] The Adam was voted by three editors for Creative Computing as one of the world's worst computers,[15] ranked No. 6 on PCMag's list of "The 12 Biggest PC Duds Ever",[16] No. 3 on Maximum PC's list of "The 16 Worst Failed Computers of All Time",[8] and as the third worst PC of all time by PC World.[7]

Osborne Executive (1983)

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Osborne Executive

The Osborne Executive is a self-named portable computer developed in 1983 by Osborne Computer Corporation, founded in 1981 by Adam Osborne, as the successor to its Osborne 1. The Osborne 1, credited as the world's first mass-marketed portable computer, was highly successful, but it had drawn criticism for its small screen size, meager memory, and a shortage of high-quality software. The Executive was released to address these issues, with a larger screen and more memory. However, it also cost more than the Osborne 1, at $2,495 (equivalent to $7,877 in 2023).[17] As with the Osborne 1, the Executive was opened to reveal the built-in monitor, two floppy drives, and a detachable keyboard.[4]

Before its announcement of the Executive, Osborne Computer Corporation was known to sell lightweight computers and for far less than its competitors, yet earn twice as much profit as the industry average. It was also one of the fastest growing companies in United States history, boasting yearly sales approaching $100 million. Nonetheless, it soon faced stiff competition from rivals such as IBM and Japanese computer manufacturers, who were producing more affordable machines with improved features. Seeking to stay ahead of the competition and vastly expand his company's operations to a $1 billion business in two years, Adam Osborne chose to invest in the development of three new products: the Executive 1, the more powerful IBM PC-compatible Executive 2, and the Vixen, which was to be sold at a lower price than the Osborne 1, and it became immediately apparent that their announcements was the company's liability. The announcement of the Executive's imminent release evaporated the 25-month backlog of orders for the Osborne 1, depriving the company of its major source of income, aggravated by a combination of repeated delays of the product, increasing consumer expectations for a computer, and IBM's unexpectedly aggressive endeavor in the portable market. The Executive was perceived as expensive compared to the competition and outdated due to its continued used of the CP/M when other manufacturers had adopted the IBM PC as the standard. In September 1983, Osborne Computer filed for bankruptcy, with only the first Executive model brought to fruition (although the Vixen was later revived and released).[17][18][19] The Osborne effect refers to an upcoming product cannibalizing the sales of an existing product as a result of the company prematurely announcing the successor.[8]

Macintosh Portable (1989–1991)

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Machintosh Portable

The Macintosh Portable is the first battery-powered Macintosh and Apple Computer's first portable computer, released in 1989 and featuring 1 MB of static random-access memory, a 16 MHz Motorola 68HC000, a black-and-white active matrix LCD display, a floppy disk drive, an SCSI mode allowing the unit to be used as a hard drive, and a removable trackball device. It weighed 16 pounds (7.3 kg) and measured up to 4 inches (10 cm) thick, with lead-acid batteries contributing to the bulk of the weight. Reviews of the Portable were mixed, which tended to praise the LCD display, considered state-of-the-art technology at the time, but criticize the weight, size, and its high price, which ranged from $5,700 (equivalent to $14,011 in 2023) to over $7,000 depending on which features were included. In comparison, a DOS-running portable could weigh lest than 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and cost under $3,000, and portables from Poqet and Atari—coincidentally released almost concurrently with the Macintosh Portable—would weigh under 2 pounds (0.91 kg) and fit inside a coat pocket.[20] One analyst, David Cearly of Gartner Group, said, "One can only wonder how many people are willing to pay $8,000 for what essentially is a second computer." The editor of a personal computer newsletter in New York, Richard Shaffer, wrote, "This machine would have been OK 12 months or 18 months ago. But not today."[21]

According to Tom Thompson of Byte, for the two years it was on the market, the Portable was the butt of jokes due to its size and weight compared to DOS portables. Sales of the Portable proved disappointing, with only 10,000 units sold in the first quarter of its availability, short of Apple's projection of 50,000 units in the first year, and the computer was superseded by three models of the PowerBook.[22][23] The Portable has been ranked No. 17 of PC World's list of "The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time"[24] and No. 14 on Maximum PC's list of "The 16 Worst Failed Computers of All Time".[8] Complex placed it No. 29 on its list of "The 50 Worst Fails In Tech History",[25] and the Spanish magazine Computer Hoy also listed the Portable as the 4th worst computer, with both publications citing the weight, cost, and poor battery life and the latter calling it ugly.[26]

Microsoft Bob (1995–1996)

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Microsoft Bob logo

Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software package that provided a graphical interface for users of Windows 3.x. Designed to make using Windows simpler, the software replaced the Program Manager and its pull-down menus and icons with a house in which one of 11 cartoon characters, the default being Rover the dog, guided the user with instructions inside speech balloons. The rooms consisted of objects that could be clicked on to run one of eight programs. For example, clicking on a piece of paper would allow the user to type a letter.[27][28]

Microsoft touted Bob as the first kind of a social interface, and many analysts predicted that the interface's style could supplant the desktop-and-folders one invented by the Macintosh. Despite early praise for its presentation, Bob received generally negative reviews, with reviewers criticizing the room style of the interface, the guides, the lack of customizability and manual, high system requirements, and practicality. Stephen Manes, writing for The New York Times, ended his review by referring to the product as a "toy."[29] The apparent lack of an embargo on reviews between January and Bob's March 31 release negatively affected product sales; by early 1996, when Bob was discontinued, only about 58,000 copies were ever sold, compared to about 2.75 million licenses of Windows 95 sold in its first month, according to PC Data.[28]

Microsoft Bob is remembered as the application that the Comic Sans font was designed for (but was ultimately left out of) and for the debut of the characters Clippy, an anthropomorphic paperclip, and Rover. Comic Sans would later be bundled with Windows, and Clippy and Rover would reappear as assistants for Microsoft Office versions 97 to 2003 and Windows XP's search feature, respectively.[28] Time named Bob and Clippy as two of "The 50 Worst Inventions", calling the former an "expensive and overly cutesy" piece of software that was "designed around Clippy".[30] PC World ranked the product No. 7 on its list of "The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time"[24] and Complex No. 27 on its list of "The 50 Worst Fails In Tech History".[25]

Power Mac G4 Cube (2000–2001)

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Power Mac G4 Cube

The Power Mac G4 Cube is a Mac developed by Apple Inc. between July 2000 and 2001.[31] Conceived as a miniaturized but powerful computer by then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs, it was marketed as being between the consumer iMac G3 and the professional Power Mac G4 in the product range. The computer, designed by Jony Ive, was encased and suspended in acrylic glass measuring 7.7×7.7×9.8 in (20×20×25 cm), with the transparent plastic intended to lend the impression of a floating machine.[32]

While the Cube received positive reviews and awards for its design, reviewers noted that it was expensive compared to its power and lacked expandability. It was further criticized for its tendency to develop cracks in its case, significantly impacting sales of a computer favored by potential buyers for its aesthetics.[16] The product was an immediate commercial failure, selling only about 150,000 units before it was discontinued just less than a year after its release.[31] Macworld's Benj Edwards wrote that consumers regarded the Cube as "an underpowered, over-expensive toy or [...] an emotionally inaccessible, ultra-geometric gray box suspended in an untouchable glass prison".[33] Maximum PC ranked the Cube No. 2 on its list of "The 16 Worst Failed Computers of All Time", citing its costs and cosmetic defects.[8] Despite its commercial failure, the Cube influenced future Apple products; capacitive touch would reappear in Apple's iPod and iPhone lines,[32] and the company's miniaturization efforts would benefit computers such as the iMac G4 and the Mac Mini, whose design was inspired by the Cube.[31]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Black, John; Hashimzade, Nigar; Myles, Gareth (2012). A Dictionary of Economics (Fourth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-19-969632-1. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  2. ^ Grimes, Dennis J.; Kelly, Brian W. (1983). Personal Computer Buyers Guide: With Exclusive Product Reference Guide. Ballinger Publishing. pp. I–5. ISBN 0-88410-917-8. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  3. ^ Moore, Robin (September 1982). "The Apple III and Its New Profile". Byte. Vol. 7, no. 9. pp. 92–132. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  4. ^ a b c Williams, Justin (2009-04-15). "The 10 greatest flops in computer history". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  5. ^ a b Linzmayer, Owen W. (2004). Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company. No Starch Press. pp. 41–44. ISBN 1-59327-010-0. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ^ a b Edwards, Benj (2009-06-14). "Fifteen Classic PC Design Mistakes". Technologizer. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  7. ^ a b Tynan, Dan (2007-03-19). "The 10 Worst PCs of All Time". PC World. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  8. ^ a b c d e Jones, George (2011-04-07). "The 16 Worst Failed Computers of All Time". Maximum PC. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  9. ^ "20 Spectacular Failures". Byte. Vol. 20, no. 9. September 1995. p. 145–148. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  10. ^ Herman 1997, p. 100.
  11. ^ a b Gilder, Jules H. (April 1984). "System Review: The Coleco Adam". Byte. Vol. 9, no. 4. pp. 206–220. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  12. ^ Herman 1997, pp. 84–85.
  13. ^ Herman 1997, pp. 106–107.
  14. ^ Loguidice & Barton 2014, pp. 128–131.
  15. ^ Ahl, David H. (September 1985). "The World's Worst Computers". Creative Computing. Vol. 11, no. 9. pp. 88–89. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  16. ^ a b Pachal, Peter (2011-08-09). "The 12 Biggest PC Duds Ever". PCMag. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  17. ^ a b McCracken, Harry (2011-04-01). "Osborne!". Technologizer. Archived from the original on 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  18. ^ Aaseng, Nathan (1997). You Are the Corporate Executive. Great Decisions. Vol. VII. The Oliver Press. pp. 99–114. ISBN 1-881508-35-8. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  19. ^ Horowitz, Adam (2004). The Dumbest Moments in Business History: Useless Products, Ruinous Deals, Clueless Bosses and Other Signs of Unintelligent Life in the Workplace. Portfolio. pp. 145–146. ISBN 1-59184-035-X. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  20. ^ Lewis, Peter H. (1989-09-24). "The Portable Mac: Sharp, but Heavy". The New York Times. p. 13. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  21. ^ Lazzareschi, Carla (1989-09-20). "Apple's First Portable Gets Posh Coming-Out Party". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  22. ^ Thompson, Tom (March 1992). "Reviews – Apple Reinvents the Notebook". Byte. Vol. 17, no. 3. p. 253. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  23. ^ Bizzaco, Michael (2023-10-21). "On this day in 1991, Apple introduced the PowerBook". XDA Developers. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  24. ^ a b Tynan, Dan (2006-05-26). "The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time". PC World. Archived from the original on 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  25. ^ a b Scott, Damien (2011-04-29). "The 50 Worst Fails In Tech History". Complex. Archived from the original on 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  26. ^ Pascual Estapé, Juan Antonio (2016-02-20). "Los 9 peores ordenadores de la historia" [The 9 worst computers in history]. Computer Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  27. ^ Magid, Lawrence J. (1995-01-15). "Microsoft Bob: No Second Chance to Make a First Impression". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  28. ^ a b c McCracken, Harry (2010-03-29). "The Bob Chronicles". Technologizer. Archived from the original on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  29. ^ Manes, Stephen (1995-01-17). "Bob: Your New Best Friend's Personality Quirks". The New York Times. p. 8. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  30. ^ "The 50 Worst Inventions". Time. 2010-05-27. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  31. ^ a b c McCracken, Harry (2011-08-22). "Ten of the Shortest-Lived Tech Products Ever – Apple Power Mac G4 Cube (2000-2001)". Technologizer. Time. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  32. ^ a b Kahney, Leander (2014). Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products. Penguin Random House. pp. 155–158. ISBN 978-1-59184-706-9.
  33. ^ Edwards, Benj (2010-08-12). "The Cube at 10: Why Apple's eye-catching desktop flopped". Macworld. Archived from the original on 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

Works cited

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Category:Lists of computer hardware Category:Lists of worsts Category:Personal computers

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