The tech world is full of smart people who are driven by passionate ideas about
new products and services that could change the world.
But even the smartest
guy in the room can fall flat on their face.
In this episode of Top 5 we?re collecting 2012?s greatest misses in tech.
The big
duds from the biggest names in the business.
Starting off at #5: AirTime.
Sean Parker?s video chat launched with the
confidence and swagger befitting a young internet billionaire.
Unfortunately the
demo was a disaster.
The mics cut out, the internet died, and the thing just didn?t
work half the time.
It should have been a slam-dunk demo of a future Facebook
acquisition.
Instead, it had me cringing more than a Dom DeLuise movie.
At #4, the BlackBerry 10.
All year, we?ve been waiting for RIM to strike back with
their new BlackBerry 10 OS and a killer phone that would put them back in the
game.
Heck, we would even settle for a good-enough phone if they just got it out
ahead of the Holidays.
But no.
BlackBerry 10 has now been pushed back to
2013, and I?m taking bets on whether it will come out before RIM self-destructs.
At number 3: the Google Nexus Q.
Remember Google's $300 Darth Vader
softball streaming music thing?
Remember how it only worked with a version of
Android that nobody had yet?
I think they just threw this out there to make
Google TV look like a hit.
About a month after it was announced, Google quietly
pulled the plug on the Nexus Q.
At number 2, Facebook?s IPO.
Here's a company that was valued for more
money than small nation.
But the honeymoon ended pretty quick.
It turns out that
popularity and profitability aren't the same thing.
Finally, at #1: Apple Maps.
Losing money on Facebook stock really hurt, but it
was nowhere near the pain felt from the deafening cry of millions of iPhone
owners screaming out in pain as Apple replaced the Google Maps app with their
own "special" take on navigation.
It was so bad that even Apple APPLE admitted
that it wasn't so great.
Needless to say, heads rolled on this one.
So there you go, those are my favorite flops from 2012.
For more, head over to
CNET for our full list of the 2012 Tech Turkeys.
And for more How Tos like this,
visit HowTo.CNET.com.
I?m Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
