It’s been a rollercoaster of a year in the tech world. Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter and the ensuing drama has everyone speculating about the future of the social media giant. ChatGPT presents a human-level text, which gives us a glimpse of the future of artificial intelligence. But the past year has seen many products and services leave us forever. Some will be missed, and others, well, will be forgotten for good. We mourn their passing and take time to remember them as the pages of the calendar turn.
iPod Touch
Although not as shocking, the discontinuation of the iPod Touch has been in the cards for several years. In the year The iPod music player, introduced by Steve Jobs in 2001, reached its peak in popularity when the iPhone was launched. Still, Apple continued to sell the iPhone in different shapes and designs. The last model of the iPod Touch closely resembles the iPhone 4, with cellular connectivity. With streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music becoming the norm for listening to music, the $199 iPod Touch is starting to feel redundant. It’s surprising how long it took Apple to discontinue the iPod Touch, which has barely been updated in the past few years. The iPod Touch was a great entry-level device for experiencing apps and games, but it wasn’t until the iPhone became popular that it had similar capabilities. The name “iPod” may be dead, but Apple’s little music player will forever be remembered for changing how we listen to music.
Despite deep resources, Google failed to support its cloud-based video game streaming service Stadia. (Image credit: Google)
Google Stadia
In the year Since day one, Google Stadia has built a narrative that it will stream AAA games to all your devices. And we all submitted to Google’s vision. The idea of being able to access the biggest blockbuster games without owning a console was appealing.
But the original set and the final product were completely different. There was a lack of clarity about what kind of audience was considered suitable for a platform like Stadia. The lack of exclusives was the problem from the beginning, but when Google started offering Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia, people either owned those games on other platforms or considered buying them on the platform they already owned. Stadia was built on amazing technology, but like many of Google’s failed products, the Silicon Valley behemoth failed to understand the market it was trying to enter.
In the year In early 2021, Google announced that it would shut down its in-house development studios and instead offer Stadia a platform for others to build on. In September 2022, news of the much-anticipated closure of Stadia broke. Many feel that Google should not give up on Stadia so easily, but the fact is that the company already knew that Microsoft could be its biggest competitor in the cloud gaming segment. The phenomenal success of Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft’s growing status in the gaming world may be a clue to the demise of Google Stadia.
Finally, the service of the old devices ended on January 4. (Image credit: BlackBerry)
Blackberry
Ladies and gentlemen… 2 minutes of silence for BlackBerry. In the year 2022 is finally the end of old BlackBerry devices. The Canadian company has announced that it has shut down servers that older BlackBerry devices need to function properly. As of January 4, any phones or tablets running BlackBerry’s own software will “no longer work reliably.” That means your old BlackBerry device is nothing more than a piece of paper without making a call or sending a text. Once synonymous with business executives, BlackBerry has seen dizzying heights but has become a victim of its own success. While BlackBerry has been said to be dead many times before, this time the phones went into silent mode forever.
Glow, a video calling tool aimed at kids, can also be used for interactive gaming. (Image credit: Amazon)
Amazon Glow
If you’ve never heard of Amazon Glow, you’re not alone. Glow was Amazon’s failed attempt to create a video calling device aimed at children. The test video chat device had a built-in tabletop projector. Kids can video chat with their grandparents, and the device plays games, books or puzzles on the table in response to a touch. It was a special product available only by invitation. But six months after its wide release, Amazon stopped selling the device. The reason for Glow’s termination is unclear, but a closer look at Amazon’s current situation reveals that the company has chosen to abandon testing tools and instead focus on products and services. Regardless of the reason for the discontinuation, it’s sad to see how a company can kill niche products when priorities change.
Apple Watch Series 3
Many started calling the Apple Watch Series 3 “unnecessary” and “useless”. No, the Series 3 was not a commercial failure. In fact, it was the complete opposite. For more than five years, Apple has continued to sell the Series 3 despite an affordable entry-level Apple Watch SE option. The Series 3 wasn’t settling for anything other than being the most budget-friendly Apple Watch. The announcement of WatchOS 9 at WWDC and the loss of support for the Series 3 confirmed the departure of the most successful Apple Watch model. The discontinuation of the Series 3 was not a complete surprise to many. Since the watch lacks a new age design, the slow processor is starting to show its age. While the Series 3 is now gone for good, consumers can opt for the Watch SE 2 as a replacement.
