At a time when talking about scammers and cancel culture is more popular than ever, the tech industry has also had its fair share of failures too. With every new invention must come a purpose and value that either has not already been met or is more affordable and efficient than its competitors. Basically, if the product doesn’t have an exact need, it will most likely flop when it hits the market. We’ve gathered six tech product failures from the last 10 years that you’ve probably forgotten all about but might have considered purchasing at one point.
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6 Tech Product Flops From the Last 10 Years
Remember Hoverboards?
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1. Amazon Fire Phone
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The Amazon Fire Phone was launched in 2014, a year after the failed Facebook Phone debuted. Amazon presumed the phone would be a hit after their previous success with Kindle Fire tablets. Instead, consumers were unhappy with the phone’s awkward size, limited app options, useless Firefly feature.
2. Google Glass
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Google Glass was first released in 2013 and was off the market by the following year. The product was, and still is, way ahead of its time with privacy and piracy concerns and an unrealistic sales price of $1500. Functioning as a hands-free smartphone that lets users access the internet, camera and other apps using voice commands, Google Glass gained attention as a product of the future. Aside from that, wearing glasses on your face that emit carcinogenic radiation, for a long period of time, wasn’t necessarily health-conscious.
3. Nike FuelBand
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Nike introduced FuelBand in 2012 and, at the time, it seemed like a promising product. By 2014, the company fired most of the team backing FuelBand, as the wearable fitness tracker only accounted for 10% of sales. The band was too late and came at a time when smartphones held the same functions, leading Nike to drop production entirely and focus on improvements with their Nike App in conjunction with Apple.
4. Kanoa Wireless Headphones
Kanoa
It’s crazy to think the Kanoe Wellness headphones weren’t sustainable, especially with AirPods and other wireless headphones currently on the ultimate rise. The technological issues outweighed the idea and the product failed after a famous YouTuber gave them a negative, yet honest review. Immediately after the review, Kanoa suffered tons of backlash and a decrease in sales. As a result, the company allegedly bribed the YouTuber with $500 for a more positive review, which ended its reputation entirely when the news came to light.
5. Hoverboards
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2017 was the year Hoverboards were canceled. What first was a popular mode of transportation among teens and college students was recalled after thousands of them began to malfunction and exploded. Even earlier in 2015, many airlines prohibited the boards from problems associated with their lithium-ion batteries catching on fire.
6. Nook by Barnes & Noble
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The e-reader came too late after Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad. Failing to prove its worth as more than a digital book product, Barnes & Noble never advertised the product as a tablet for streaming movies and TV shows, playing games, or reading news. On top of that, the Kindle was relatively cheaper than the iPad, creating no space or value for Nook to fit in.
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