LG phone sales have failed miserably (Juan Cruz Carcia/Getty)
Hundreds of thousands of technology products are released every year around the world, the majority of which fail or do not get as many sales as expected. Some of these tech products are among the most popular, but they end up on the list of losers. After decades of watching products fade away, it’s time to highlight the most disappointing flaws of modern technology.
Microsoft bracelet
In 2014, the company launched Microsoft A fitness tracker called the Microsoft Band. It was an impressive product at the time, offering smart features such as Cortana voice assistant functionality, integration with other Microsoft services (Health, Calendar, Outlook Mail), and a clean and beautiful design and build. At just $199, the Microsoft Band had a lot of potential, but the timing didn’t help. It was launched in October 2014, just half a year before the company’s first watch Camel. The update to the Microsoft Band, often a best-seller because the company learned from the mistakes of the first generation, didn’t make any noise when it arrived in late 2015. The Microsoft Band product is a great smartwatch and fitness tracker that not many people might have heard of. Microsoft stopped selling its fitness band in 2016 or 2017. There’s no exact number on how many units the company sold, but it did offer a refund of $175 to remaining users following Microsoft Band services shut down in 2019.
Noveto N1 loudspeaker
Of all the products we saw at CES 2022, the Noveto N1 speaker left the biggest impression. The desktop speaker, which was funded via Kickstarter, uses beamforming technology to create a silent bubble of sound around your ears. Basically, it’s a pair of invisible headphones. But Noveto slid into bankruptcy shortly following CES 2022. With money running out and Kickstarter unable to afford the company’s broken sums, the Noveto N1 speaker was off the market even before it entered. If a competing company had come to acquire it, the amplifier would have been on a date with years of success and more development and innovations.
SmartDry laundry sensor
A cheap product under the name SmartDry solves two problems, the first is the problem of reminding the laundry time, and the second is constantly checking the clothes and knowing if they are dry or still wet. It’s just a moisture sensor that uses a smartphone or voice assistant to tell the user when laundry is needed, and when the laundry is dry. SmartDry works well, and can save users from over-drying clothes and wasting electricity. But SmartDry’s parent company, Connected Life, finally decided to stop making the sensors, and permanently ceased operations on September 30, 2022.
LG smartphones
Of all the companies that have released smartphones, LG has made some of the most impressive smartphones Android Absolutely creative. Products like the rotating-screen LG Wing, the dual-screen V60 ThinQ, and the unreleased foldable device, let Samsung come and make that dream a reality. LG gave up smartphones to make indoor gardening equipment, following sales of its smartphones failed miserably.
Pebble… the original smart watch
Before Apple WatchThe most popular smartwatch around the world was the Pebble. Not only was Pebble the “first smartwatch,” it was the first project to generate tens of millions of dollars on Kickstarter. Three models of the Pebble watch still rank among the most funded projects on Kickstarter. Pebble Watches brings together the smartwatch essentials of today’s latest Apple and Samsung watches. But most importantly, the battery life lasts a week, thanks to the E Ink display. No modern smartwatches, with the exception of the Fitbit, today can match Pebble’s incredible battery life. The original Pebble watch was released in 2013, two years before the first generation Apple Watch was released. The Pebble watch has received praise and reviews from many sites related to the future of technological inventions that will facilitate human life. The smart home integration and value price point of the watch were highlighted. But manufacturing was halted and thus the Pebble watch project was updated later in 2016, following competitors overwhelmed the market and sales.