- Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Since we are talking about the top tech flops of the last decade, let’s begin our list with the something that is probably still fresh in your mind, the infamous Galaxy Note 7 by Samsung.
What’s amusing is that the device was an instant hit at its launch and enjoyed a superior status that is until it literally started exploding. Samsung had to recall millions of its devices from around the world. While the Galaxy Note 7 did deliver a huge financial hit to the tech giant but fortunately Samsung managed to save its image and reputation with a robust launch of its next flagship, the Galaxy S8.
- Google Glass
The Google Glass was believed by many to be the next revolution in the computing technology. Unfortunately, with the great power of Google Glass came greater privacy implications. Carrying an active camera on your face raised too many eyebrows forcing many businesses to ban the device from their premises. Another aspect behind the device’s failure was its strange appearance.
The many public concerns forced Google to discontinue the device in its infancy giving birth to another flop in the last decade. However, Google still haven’t completely shelved the idea and has promised to launch the second generation of the device in the coming future.
- Facebook Home
Before we discuss more devices that ended up being top tech flops, let’s talk about an app that also turned out to be one of the last decade flops, the Facebook Home. Launched in 2013 by the social media giant, Facebook Home was designed to be a replacement launcher for Android devices.
The launcher offered users quick access to Facebook content, posts and messages. Since Android was first launched, the Google Play store has had thousands of launchers. Sadly, Facebook Home failed to garner any attention among the more functional competitor apps. Some good did come from this flop though as Facebook pulled the app, it developed the more famous Messenger app instead.
- Windows Phones
The Windows phone is more of a platform failure than of a device. One of the biggest and most noticeable flops of the last decade, the Windows phone was at the right place but at the wrong time.
To clearly put it, the Windows phone was a little too late in entering the smartphone market. By the time it emerged on the scene, iOS and Android had already gained a firm footing in the smartphone world, leaving a market share that was almost negligible. Microsoft went so far as to acquire Nokia’s handset manufacturing plant to save its Windows mobile ecosystem but by then it was already too late and Microsoft had to write off billions of dollars a year after.
- HP Touchpad
The HP Touchpad is one of the fastest techs flops the world has ever seen. It was launched in 2011 to compete with the ever so popular iPad. HP realized the error of its ways early on and announced discontinuation of the Touchpad a month later. Remaining devices were sold off for $99 a piece to liquidate the remaining inventory.
- Amazon Fire Phone
Trying to cash in on the success of the Kindle Fire, Amazon, in 2014, launched the fire phone. The specs of the phone failed to make a mark among the iPhone and Android customers. The Fire phone suffered a similar fate as the HP Touchpad with its prices being slashed down to $0.99 along with a two year contract from the initial price of $199. The company took a big hit with the thousands of unsold phones and discontinued the device within a year of its launch.
- Blackberry PlayBook
Acting as the last nail on the coffin, the PlayBook was one of Blackberry’s last shot at redemption. Coming out at a time when some of the major players of the smartphone industry were struggling to find place among users of Android and iOS, the PlayBook boasted great hardware but its undoing was the repackaged yet obsolete Blackberry’s mobile operating system. The device was rushed out in an attempt to save the failing company and lacked some of the core features that Blackberry was famous for, adding the device to the list of top tech flops.