14 Apple Products That Were Complete Failures

Today, Apple is one of the richest and most influential companies worldwide. Recently, it feels like they can do no wrong. The iPad, once mocked by tech experts in 2010 as a pointless device, went on to sell nearly 20 million units in its first year. People eagerly queue for days when a new iPhone is about to launch. But Apple wasn’t always this successful. In the 80s and 90s, the company faced financial difficulties. A series of products were introduced to help turn things around, but only a few were successful. It wasn’t until the iPod debuted in 2001 that Apple truly began its upward trajectory. Before that, many poorly received products were briefly released and failed miserably. Here are 14 products that were utter failures.

14. The Apple Macintosh Portable

Apple's first foray into portable computers was the Macintosh Portable. Thankfully, they’ve made great strides since then, with the MacBook line now considered top-tier. However, in 1989, this cumbersome machine was introduced. Design flaws meant it would often fail to turn on, even when plugged in. The term ‘portable’ was a stretch at best. The device weighed 16 pounds and was a whopping four inches thick.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/03/colby-walkmac Via Wired.co.uk

13. The Apple Newton

In 1987, Apple entered the growing PDA market with the Apple Newton. Its standout feature was the ability to recognize handwriting entered via a stylus. Unfortunately, the technology was unreliable, and it was famously ridiculed on The Simpsons with the phrase ‘Eat up Martha?’

12. Apple Pippin

In the mid-90s, Apple aimed to make a mark in the console gaming industry. Rather than mimicking the approach of Sony, Nintendo, or Sega, they introduced the Pippin — a hybrid of a gaming console and a networked computer. Unfortunately, poor marketing and a flawed design ensured it couldn’t succeed at either. It featured a 14.4 kb/s modem and lacked support from key game developers. The hefty $599 price tag didn't help either, and by 1997, the Pippin was discontinued.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin Via Wikipedia

11. Apple eMate

The Apple eMate was one of the company’s most unconventional products — a mix of a laptop and a PDA. Running the same software as the Newton, the eMate was affordable at just $799. Its vibrant design served as inspiration for the iMac and iBook. However, the eMate was sold exclusively to educational institutions, limiting its market, and after just 11 months, it was pulled from the shelves.

http://welfle.com/blog/i-love-my-newton-emate-300/ Via Welfle.com

10. Round Mouse

This mouse was a design disaster. While Apple is known for its love of rounded corners, this one took it too far. It was clunky and uncomfortable to use. Many users complained it didn’t fit comfortably in their hands. Released in 1998 as Apple’s first USB mouse, it came bundled with desktop Macs for two years. Fortunately, common sense kicked in, and Apple eventually returned to more traditional designs.

https://github.com/Gouthamve/Evolution-of-a-mouse Via Github.com

9. The U2 iPod

Apple has a knack for creating memorable advertisements, and Irish rock icons U2 were heavily involved in the iPod ad campaign, with their music featured in commercials. However, Apple and Bono’s egos seemed to inflate a bit too much. They launched a special U2 edition iPod with a red click wheel, U2 content, and the band’s signatures on the back. While it wasn’t a terrible product, the $50 price increase over the regular iPod didn’t sit well with consumers, and they passed on it.

https://vulcanpost.com/20137/u2-releases-new-album-itunes-free-collaborates-awkwardly-apple/ Via VulcanPost.com

8. The Power Mac G4 Cube

Launched in 2000, the Power Mac G4 Cube was a unique square-shaped computer that only survived on the market for one year. Despite its cool design, the computer was overpriced and didn’t include a monitor. Consumers quickly turned to the regular Power Mac G4, which offered better hardware expansion options and a more affordable price.

http://designtimeline.cias.rit.edu/timeline/apples-power-mac-g4-cube/ Via designtimeline.cias.rit.edu

7. 20th Anniversary Macintosh

When Apple marked its 20th anniversary, they unveiled a special edition Macintosh, which would be delivered to buyers by limousine. Unfortunately, it was an $8,000 system with only mediocre specifications. To add to the irony, it was released a year after their actual 20th birthday, in 1996. Only 12,000 units were made, but sales were lackluster, even after the price was slashed to below $2,000.

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/first-bytes-iconic-technology-from-the-twentieth-century/a-twentieth-anniversary-macintosh-1/887 Via Christies.com

6. Macintosh TV

The Macintosh TV, introduced in 1993, tried to combine a computer with a television. However, Apple was ahead of its time, as smart TVs and devices like Rokus and Chromecasts have only recently made this idea popular. The Macintosh TV had some serious limitations—it featured a 14-inch screen that could either serve as a computer monitor or a TV display, but never both at the same time. Plus, it came with a hefty price tag of over $2,000.

http://www.celebratethemac.com/moreawesomemacs/ Via CelebrateTheMac.com

5. Lisa I

Lisa I was a groundbreaking innovation in technology, but ultimately a commercial failure. It was the first personal computer to feature a graphical user interface, a feature that is now standard. This advanced feature was meant to justify the exorbitant price tag of nearly $10,000. While the display was ahead of its time, the rest of the system was sluggish and difficult for most users to navigate. Apple eventually gave up on the product and allowed customers to trade them in for other machines.

http://www.guidebookgallery.org/articles/newfromapple/afirstlookatlisa Via guidebookgallery.org

4. FireWire

FireWire, developed as a competitor to USB, was Apple’s own data transfer technology. It was promoted as being much faster than USB, though the average consumer couldn’t really discern the difference. Hardware manufacturers were reluctant to pay Apple’s licensing fees for including a FireWire port in their products, so many chose not to. Ultimately, the market decided, and FireWire faded into obscurity, with Apple officially discontinuing it in 2011.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Precision-M6600-Notebook.65764.0.html Via notebookcheck.net

3. iTunes Ping

What exactly was Ping? We vaguely remember it, but the details are fuzzy. It turns out it was a social network tied to iTunes, where users could check out their friends' music and get tailored recommendations. Despite being completely free, nobody seemed interested in joining yet another social platform. It quietly faded away after just two years.

http://vator.tv/news/2012-06-12-apple-getting-rid-of-itunes-social-network-ping Via vator.tv

2. eWorld

In the mid-90s, AOL was the leading provider of internet access in the U.S., prompting Apple to introduce eWorld as a competitor. Much like AOL, eWorld created a “walled garden” experience where users could navigate through city buildings to access different functions (for example, visiting the post office to send an email). Unfortunately, the service was quite expensive and initially available only for Macintosh computers. With such a limited subscriber base, it couldn’t compete with AOL and was shut down in 1996.

https://www.macpro.se/2014/10/minns-du-eworld/ Via macpro.se

1. The Apple III

After the Apple II’s success, Apple thought that upgrading the machine would be a surefire success. However, they let the design team override the engineering team, resulting in a computer filled with critical design flaws. The casing was too compact for the internal components, and there were no cooling fans because the design team wanted it to be quiet. The outcome was frequent overheating, warping motherboards, and dislodged components. It’s no coincidence that this was the first Apple computer not designed by Steve Wozniak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III Via Wikipedia