Business is a game of winners and losers. And unfortunately, some of our most popular tech products end up on the “loser” list. After decades of watching products disappear, it’s time to highlight some of the most unfortunate failures of modern technology.
Microsoft fitness tracker
Let’s start with something surprising. Microsoft launched a fitness tracker called Microsoft Band during the “Metro” years. And like Cortana’s voice assistant function, it was an impressive product for the time, offering integration with Microsoft services (Health, Calendar, Outlook) and a design between “cool” and “dorky”.
At only $199, the Microsoft Band had a lot of potential. But it launched in October 2014, half a year before the original Apple Watch. The sequel, Microsoft Band 2, was released in 2011. When it arrived in late 2015, it received almost no acclaim.
Microsoft stopped selling the Fitness Band in 2016 or 2017. We’re not sure how many units the company sold, but after Microsoft discontinued its Band services in 2019, it issued a $175 refund to remaining users.
Novetto Guest “Invisible Headphones”
Of all the products we saw at CES 2022, the Novoto N1 speaker left the biggest impression. This Kickstarter-funded desktop speaker uses optical technology to create a silent bubble of sound in your ear. Basically, it’s a pair of invisible headphones.
But Novetto went bankrupt shortly after CES 2022. It’s out of money, hasn’t fulfilled a single Kickstarter order, and unless a rival company comes along to buy it, the Novoto N1 will never come out.
We are troubled by Novetto’s failure, but somehow we should not be surprised. This company has managed to burn tens of millions of dollars in one year. If you enjoy tragedy, check out our full article on Novetto’s Fall.
SmartDry laundry sensor
I have two problems with laundry – first, I always forget I’m doing laundry. Second, my dryer’s humidity sensor is crap, so I have to constantly check my clothes and see if they’re drying.
An inexpensive product called SmartDry has solved these problems. It’s just a moisture sensor that uses your smartphone or voice assistant to tell you when the laundry is dry. But man, SmartDry really works, and saves you from over-drying your clothes and wasting electricity. We rated it 9/10 in our review!
But SmartDry and its parent company, Connected Life, are out to pasture. These sensors will stop working on September 30, 2022. Shut up, I won’t cry.
LG’s Weird and Waky Smartphones
We don’t appreciate LG phones enough. Of all the boring phone companies, LG. Products like the swivel-screen LG Wing, the dual-screen V60 ThinQ and the unreleased Fold were just the tip of the iceberg for LG.
Our friends at LG have given up smartphones to make home gardening tools. But for what it’s worth, LG offers three years of updates for its discontinued phones. Better service than you get from companies that keep making new phones!
An automatic smart addition to cars
Turning a “dumb car” into a “smart car” seems like a big deal. But a few years ago, you could get the job done with a cheap OBD-II add-on. It unlocks automatic smart features like GPS tracking, collision detection and mileage tracking to see how much you’re spending on gas during a trip.
The auto adjuster was great. It even had a cool app that could notify you of any problems with your vehicle or remind you where you parked. But after Sirius XM bought Auto in 2017, it just went downhill.
In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the automatic service stopped. At least that’s an excuse. Sirius XM seems to lack real interest in the product, as the quality has gradually declined in the years leading up to 2020.
Pebble, the original smartwatch
Before Apple Watch, we had pebbles. Not only was Pebble “the first smartwatch,” it was also the first project to generate tens of millions of dollars on Kickstarter. Heck, three Pebble watch models still rank among the most funded projects on Kickstarter.
Pebble has done all the basic smartwatch things we enjoy today. But best of all, it had week-long battery life thanks to the E-Ink display. No modern smartwatch, save for Fitbit, can match the humble Pebble’s battery life.
The original Pebble launched in 2013, two years before the Apple Watch. Our sister site, How-Gek, wrote an excellent review of the Pebble in 2016, highlighting its smart home integrations and affordable price point. But Gravel closed later that year – our review didn’t really help, I guess.
We do anything for Windows Phone
Are we giving Microsoft too much love? Well, Windows Phone deserves its flowers. For a few years now, Microsoft has offered a third option for smartphone buyers torn between Android and iOS. And it was a glorious few years minus the poor app selection.
Windows Phone is doomed. But it introduced several features before Android or iOS, including dark mode, apps like widgets (in the form of live tiles) and native song recognition feature.
Oh, and Windows Phone hardware was great—Nokia Lumia devices were built like bricks. Amazing Cameras, relative to competing products, at least. Additionally, Lumia phones got wireless charging in 2015, two years before the iPhone. (Nokia Lumia devices have such sharp, sharp corners that they put a hole in your pocket. Windows Phone loses some points for that.)
But Windows Phone died a quick death. Basically, Microsoft found itself in a feedback loop; Since Windows Phone does not have a large user base, app developers have shied away from the platform. And without essential apps like Instagram and Snapchat, customers won’t buy Windows Phone.
Original Filmpass
When was the last time you stopped to think about 2018? It’s been one of the weirdest years of our lives, and surprisingly, MoviePass has managed to embody that weirdness. The bottom line is this—some guys have convinced theaters to sign up for $10 a month Unlimited movies It can turn into profit.
MoviePass was not a profitable business. Corporate dorks assumed that people would only use it to watch one or two movies a month. Exactly.
Shortly after launching its $10 monthly plan, MoviePass was forced to shut itself down. Movie theaters wanted to increase attendance, and surprisingly, their biggest incentive for patrons was not profit.
Today, MoviePass is relaunching as a privacy-filled crypto fantasy. It probably won’t last.
Google Reader or your favorite Google app
The list of good products killed by Google deserves its own article. But now we will highlight Google Reader. It was a great little RSS app with a traditional “inbox” style layout—mostly text, no excessive images, or poor design. It was also free, and didn’t have any of the stupid “learning” algorithms that modern alternatives force down users’ throats.
But after years of neglect, Google Reader died in 2013. People lost their decade-old RSS feeds with this shutdown, and were forced to either abandon RSS or switch to a service like Feedly. Google seems to have killed Reader by favoring algorithmic aggregators like the modern Google Discover page (which seems to be showing tricks you don’t care about).
By now, you might think that the days of RSS are over. After all, they don’t post those little orange buttons on websites anymore. But I still use RSS as an editor every day. Review Geek. And let me tell you, I would kill for something as simple as Google Reader.
Honorable Mention: Wink Smart Homes
Some failed products just don’t die. Wink was one of the best home centers offering excellent service and affordable packages. But these days it’s practically a zombie.
The problems started in In 2015, Wink’s original owner (known as Quirky) threw himself into R&D money and went bankrupt. Wink was then transferred to Flex before ending up in the hands of Will.i.am’s company under the creative name i.am.plus.
Wink now charges a monthly fee and does not develop new products. And every 30 days, customers keep their fingers crossed that Wink will pay the bills. The company has experienced several unannounced crop outages, lasting several weeks at a time and always seeming to fall at the beginning of the month.
We’re not sure how Wink is still in business. It treats customers like crap and has one of the worst track records of any modern home company. Maybe we should wait for Wink to die before putting it on this list, but hey, there are no signs of improvement from this brand.
