[ShadowAce]

[randog]

That was a fun walk down memory lane.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I wish I hadn't sunk all my life's savings investing in New Coke :(

/I was about 8, and bought a can....

[RebelBanker]

I was thinking of Betamax...

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Then the recording industry became concerned that DAT would encourage piracy because it could be used to make near-perfect digital copies of recorded music. The industry convinced Congress to pass the Audio Home Recording Act in 1992, which required strong -- some might say Draconian -- copy protection for DAT.

This is actually an example of content providers crippling a technology to the point where consumers no longer find it worthwhile. We'll never know whether DAT on it's own merits would have been a flop.

[martin_fierro]

Flooz's commercials featuring Whoopi Goldberg received the most attention.

Floozy.

[Publius Valerius]

DAT survived a while for professional recording applications

Like Betamax, this is still around in the professional world because it is simply a superior product. Back when I worked in radio, we did everything on DAT or Minidisc.

But I liked the Apple Newton. Some of those are still on eBay, but they sure do go for way more than they are worth.

[js1138]

I’m thinking Windows Vista may join Lisa and NeXT as a flop that will be replaced by something similar but not blighted by initial ridicule. Economic pressure seems to have compelled MS to release Vista a couple of years before it is ready.

[ryan71]

The Segway was the biggest flop.

“IT” will never come close to living up to all the hype.

“IT” will not “change the way cities are designed”.

[Fiddlstix]

The PCjr was both expensive and unpleasant to use. Its infamous chiclet keyboard was wireless, but the raised keys -- kind of like BlackBerry keys that overdosed on growth hormone -- were uncomfortable to use for basic tasks like touch-typing. And, in another burst of dubious inspiration, PCjr didn't come with a hard drive. Instead, programs were contained on cartridges that you plugged into the front of the device.

Kinda like the first Trash-80 CoCo's......
LOL

[lesser_satan]

I’m surprised Windows ME is absent from the list. Worst. Operating system. Ever.

[Yo-Yo]

They err with the inclusion of DAT. DAT is widely used in the professional recording industry.

The flops were Sony's MiniDisc and Philip's DCC (Digital Compact Cassette.) But even the MiniDisc has found a home in professional recording, just a consumer flop. DCC is DEAD.

[Pox]

I remember having Qube back when it launched. Hard to believe 30 years have passed already.

[antiRepublicrat]

WebTV was stupid as a lone paid-for device. But the beta Opera browser in my Wii isn’t too bad for being on a TV. The Wiimote lets me pan around the page pretty quick.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Some of these ideas bombed because the technology wasn’t there, some bombed because the marketing was awful, and some bombed because the idea just sucked.

But the “paperless office” idea will never work because of people and their habits and ideas. We have one supervisor at my company that requires that all her workers print off a copy of every e-mail they recieve so that there is a paper trail of communication.

How can e-mail help cut her paper use when she requires a print our of every e-mail? Well, obviously it can’t. I get route mail daily that could have been sent to me by e-mail. Why? Because some people have to hold a piece of paper in their hand in order for it to be a “memo” or a “report”.

So while a lot of these ideas make me laugh, the failure of the “paperless” office is very sad indeed.

[Centurion2000]

bump

[jordan8]

E-books are an idea that’s bound to come some day, the readers will have to be a lot cheaper than the $350 Sony wants for theirs, though. If they drop below $100 with good features then they'll take off.

[radiohead]

Thanks for this. I teach and do research in information management and always have to tell the ‘kids’ that technology is not always the answer and that newest is not always the best.

I couldn’t get a visual of Bob and did a quick Google search. http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html has a nice walkthru of the Bob screens and how it was used. I had something similar to this on an old Packard Bell, tho I don’t recall it having a name.

One tool that I thought would take off was the Cuecat. I got one for free and thought it was neat, tho those feelings were mostly based on the press. I’m not sure if, after installing it, I ever actually used it. I would love to get additional info on products while in the store, but that’s the kind of person I am. Apparently others were not so inclined. http://cuecat.com/

[Tinman]

Actually, I take exception to WebTV being included in this list. While it's not a "real" computer, it is an excellent introduction to the internet, for those who are not especially computer savvy. (like myself)

I used the unit that I purchased (from an infomercial, BTW), for my family, for Xmas '97, almost exclusively for my personal internet access right up until I left to come over here (Iraq), in Jan. of '06.

I spent many an hour on this forum, kicked back in my recliner, with my wireless keyboard and 25" "monitor".

Granted, it won't support alot of video and some audio but it still allows a user to do most everything else on the WWW.

As an "entry level" purchase, which is how it was designed and promoted, I don't think WebTV was a flop at all.

Regards

[pabianice]

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