Last week saw us take a look at some of the Best Technology and Gadgets for 2010, now let's take a look at some of the worst:
3D Television
Many speculated that 2010 would be the year of 3D after a big push from
electronics companies. The popularity of Avatar 3D caused a rush of products to
market, but it seems consumers haven't been biting. Television sales have been
very disappointing, partially because of the lack of 3D content and also due to
the current requirement to wear special glasses. The one movie that had the
hype, Avatar, didn't see the 3D version released on Blu-ray until over 6 months
after the non-3D version, killing any hope of an Avatar 3D sales boost. Even now,
Avatar is only available in 3D with the purchase of a Panasonic 3D television
and not available separately.
Apple TV
Apple has been trying to push their Apple TV set-top box product that lets
consumers view iTunes video content on their television. It's a very good
concept, but failed in its execution due to Apple's strict DRM and copy
protection schemes and the inability to play the most common high-definition
video format. Many other devices have no trouble playing MKV and a
myriad of other formats including the Popcorn Hour, Asus O!Play, Iomega
ScreenPlay, and WD TV Live. Any of those products would be a much better choice
than the Apple TV.
Sony Move
The Sony Move is a direct response to the success of the Nintedo Wii and
Microsoft Kinect. While the Kinect uses a camera and sensors to detect
movement, the Sony Move uses a wand controller very similar to the Wii.
Reported sales numbers for Sony Move seem to show Sony twisting the truth. Sony
announced that they sold 4.1 million Move devices, but failed to mention these
numbers are sold to stores, not to consumers. It was also later revealed that
Sony counted each Move controller as 1 unit, effectively doubling their sales
total since most users bought at least 2 controllers. When boiling the numbers
down further, most analysts determined that Kinect has been outselling Move by
a 4:1 ratio.
iPhone 4
After years of Apple's iPhone dominating the smartphone marketplace, it was
only a matter of time before Apple made a misstep -- and that happened with the
release of the iPhone 4. In what became known as Antennagate, the newly
redesigned iPhone antenna that was built into the edge of the phone had
reception issues depending on how the phone was held. It was shown that Apple
engineers knew about the antenna problem before launch, but Apple decided to
push ahead with the release anyway. After reports all over the internet about
reception issues, Apple was forced to offer a free case to all iPhone 4 users
to alleviate the issue. Although this cost Apple millions of dollars, the case
fix saved them from having to issue a complete recall.
Microsoft Kin Phones
Sure, I just posted a good review of the modified version of the Kin Two
phone, but that doesn't stop it from being a huge failure for Microsoft and
Verizon. Millions of dollars were spent designing and marketing these phones to
young adults that needed a constant connection to their favorite social
networks. However, disappointing sales led to the devices being pulled from
shelves after 6 weeks on the market. Although sales of the modified versions
seem to be doing well, Verizon must not be too happy about the lack of a data
plan (less profit) on the modified versions and Microsoft recently announced
they will be closing the Kin Studio, which includes online backup for the
original Kins.
Apple iPad
Apple's iPad is the only device to make both the best and worst list.
Feature-wise, it can't compare with full tablet PCs that run regular computer
applications, but it does have many more features than most e-readers. For my
full take on the iPad, see my Apple iPad review.
What are some of your picks for the biggest technology
failures of 2010? Check back next week for a look at what 2011 holds in store
for us technogeeks.
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