Throughout history, technology has been making bold promises of changing the way we live, work, play and just how we exist in general. Countless devices have arrived with even bigger promises of revolutionizing daily life. Some made headlines, drew investments, or even sparked crazy anticipation by loyal fans.
Yet, for all their hype, many of them quickly revealed flaws, whether due to poor design, high costs, and even being simply ahead of their time. Instead of welcoming in a new era, they ended up as notable fails in tech history.
This is a collection of gadgets that remind us innovation is very unpredictable, and that not every futuristic idea turns into a guaranteed success.
1
Lily Drone
An auto-follow drone that never shipped, and the ones that did couldn't perform well.
2
Sega 32X
A Genesis add-on that was confusing, and quickly abandoned.
3
Rollie Eggmaster
An "egg on a stick" cooker. Very weird and messy.
4
CueCat
A barcode scanner supposed to be revolutionary, instead it was mocked and abandoned.
5
Atari Jaguar
Marketed as the first 64-bit console, but it was doomed from the start.
6
LaserDisc
Promised cinema-quality home video, but for many reasons it wasn't a success.
7
Juicero
A $400 Wi-Fi juicer that only worked with packs that people realized they could squeeze themselves.
8
Apple Newton
Meant to be handwriting recognition magic. Instead, it became infamous very quick for its flaws and high price.
9
Segway
Hyped as the future of personal transport. Became a tourist-only thing.
10
Ouya
A console that promised a gaming revolution but had bad hardware.
11
Palm Foleo
A “mobile companion” laptop so bad, it got canceled before mass release.
12
Microsoft Kin
A “social phone” meant for teens, but was discontinued within weeks.
13
Keurig Kold
Promised at home sodas but did the job poorly and lasted only one year out.
14
Nintendo Virtual Boy
A gaming device that only gave headaches and flopped in under a year.
15
3Com Audrey
A kitchen internet appliance meant to be the future, instead it was obsolete in months.
16
Apple Pippin
An expensive console with weak performance and no software.
17
Microsoft Zune
A challenge for the iPod that never caught on.