Best Product Design Failures!
A
product design failure can mean many different things. Products can fail not so
much because they are poorly made, but because they were released at the wrong
time, or misread their target market. Of course, there have been a lot of
bizarre and strangely conceived product designs that probably deserve attention
in their own way. However, the product designs that were innovative, or at
least tried to be, but ultimately failed are useful to remember as side notes
to design history:
The Segway
Promoted
in 2001 as the vehicle that would revolutionise human transportation, the Segway did not achieve this
goal. The Personal Transporter, a two wheeled motor vehicle where users stand
on a narrow platform, was a good example of design, but one that failed to
catch on with consumers. Too expensive, and eventually banned from pavements
due to safety issues, battery power outs also led to users tumbling from them.
Most units were recalled in 2003, and by that time the Segway had become a
national joke. Still occasionally sighted, the recent Segway related death of a
British billionaire who purchased the company did little to revive its
reputation.
Microsoft Zune
Intended
to be Microsoft’s answer to the iPod, the Windows only music player received
multiple problems. Efforts to generate a portable music player that could
compete with the iPod were hampered by poor functionality, and the line was
discontinued in 2011. Microsoft developed the Zune with Toshiba, and released an initial model in 2006. However, the Zune
struggled to cope with freezes, as well as restrictions on digital content.
Simply unable to offer anything better than the iPod in terms of design or
functionality.
Apple
Newton
An
early attempt by Apple to launch a personal digital assistant and tablet, the Newton was developed from 1987 but never got
off the ground. in a significant way. Although efficient, the Newton was still
too large for carrying around, and suffered from platform compatibility issues.
Some of its most fatal flaws included its lack of speed, and problems with
synchronising data.
Betamax
Another arguably superior product that lost out due
to timing, Sony’s Betamax videotapes offered better image
quality than JVC’s videotape format. However, Sony failed to properly market
Betamax against VHS, with a lower cost for the latter making it easier as a
recordable technology. Sony’s BetaCam technology has, however, outlived Betamax
to become an industry standard.
Minidisc
When
launched in 1992, the minidisc promised an alternative to CD players through compact, re-recordable
discs that could later play MP3s. Its innovative design also included a tough
outer casing for discs, which prevented damage. However, a high price and a
lack of music industry support never allowed the minidisc format and player to
take off, and by the early 2000s it was buried by the launch of the iPod.
Although minidisc players and discs are still found in some countries, they
have more or less been discontinued for some years by Sony and other companies.
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