Buzz
When new gadgets and technological breakthroughs are unveiled, they’re often touted as revolutionary, promising to reshape industries like business, travel, and communication. What’s certain is that they’re here to stay... or so it seems.
However, the reality is that very few inventions manage to maintain their momentum. The following 10 brands and gadgets started off with a bang but lost their spark once the initial excitement wore off, eventually fading away.
10. TiVo
Before devices like TiVo came onto the scene, recording live television was a hassle. And forget about pausing it for a bathroom break or a snack. TiVo revolutionized everything with its introduction of digital video recorder (DVR) technology, changing the way we experienced TV.
With TiVo hooked up to your TV, you could record multiple channels at once, ensuring you never missed your favorite shows. Even more impressive, it let you skip over commercials, which was a huge bonus for everyone.
TiVo’s success was so monumental that its name became synonymous with recording TV. People started saying they “TiVo’d” a show for later viewing. Sadly, this golden age didn’t last. As digital technology advanced, DVRs began to lose their relevance.
TiVo did try to keep up with the times, but its efforts were slow, and its market share dropped significantly. In 2016, Rovi acquired TiVo for $1.1 billion, rebranding itself as TiVo Corporation.
The new TiVo Corporation shifted focus to licensing its technology instead of producing hardware, making it an attractive target for acquisition. In 2020, TiVo Corporation merged with Xperi Corporation, a company specializing in tech licensing and intellectual property. The new entity was renamed Xperi Holding Corporation.
The merged company will continue to carry the TiVo brand for its consumer-facing digital entertainment products and services. However, the original TiVo digital video recorder, beloved by many, has now become a relic of the past—obliterated by the unstoppable force of progress.
9. Google Glass
Google Glass made a huge splash in 2012, receiving widespread media attention. The company’s eye-catching product demo featured skydivers streaming their jumps live through the device.
The product was marketed as much for its novelty and exclusivity as it was for its innovative technology, and the public couldn't get enough. “Glass Explorers” were given the opportunity to try a prototype for a month before it was officially released. Tech enthusiasts eagerly awaited their turn to get a pair.
Google Glass featured an integrated 5-megapixel camera capable of taking still photos and shooting 720p video. However, this very feature became a major issue. Privacy concerns quickly emerged, as the device inadvertently violated privacy laws in some areas once it gained popularity.
Another major drawback that contributed to the downfall of Google Glass was its steep $1,500 price tag. Despite the initial excitement and public interest, the buzz quickly faded. By 2015, Google Glass was essentially dead as a consumer product.
8. Myspace
At its peak, nearly everyone with an Internet connection had a Myspace account. It was the first social media platform of its kind, and from 2005 to 2009, it was the largest globally, boasting over 100 million active users each month. In 2005, it was acquired by News Corporation for $580 million.
In 2011, Myspace was sold to Specific Media Group and Justin Timberlake in a joint deal worth $35 million, reflecting a dramatic drop in its valuation. While Myspace still exists today and generates some ad revenue, it’s a shadow of its former self, earning far less than it once did.
7. Pebble
While most people today are likely wearing Apple or Samsung smartwatches, there’s a chance someone is still sporting a Pebble. In 2012, Pebble made history as the highest-funded Kickstarter campaign ever, raising $10 million on the platform.
At that point, smartwatches were just beginning to hit the market. Thanks to its successful Kickstarter campaign, Pebble was able to build a huge fanbase. The financial support allowed the company to further develop its concept, and backers started receiving their watches in early 2013.
The company continued to expand, releasing more models to the public and launching a second Kickstarter campaign in 2015 that raised $20.3 million. Pebble was thriving and working hard to establish its presence in the smartwatch market.
By the following year, Pebble had essentially vanished. Financial difficulties forced the company to refund its Kickstarter backers, and everything was shut down by December 2016.
Fitbit acquired Pebble’s intellectual property, and the Pebble brand was officially discontinued. Pebble’s downfall was largely due to a lack of funding and the competition from Apple, which drew away customers even as it expanded the smartwatch market.
However, from the ruins of Pebble emerged Rebble. Former employees, fans, and developers gathered on GitHub to recreate the web services that Pebble had once provided for its smartwatches. Although the original Pebble hardware will eventually fade away, this passionate group of 'rebbles' aims to develop a RebbleOS for future smartwatch models.
At present, Rebble’s competitive edge remains unclear. Pebble was originally designed to compete at a much lower price point than Apple products. As developer Joshua Wise noted:
The Apple Watch . . and Android Wear wanted you to interact with them, to make them the center of your life. The Pebble wants to not at all be part of your life, up until it does something useful for you, and then it lets you go back to your life.
6. Nintendo Virtual Boy
Nintendo is known for pioneering some of the most groundbreaking ways to experience video games. While it revived the industry after the early 1980s market crash, not every Nintendo creation has been a hit. The Wii U, for example, was a major flop, but that’s nothing compared to the fiasco of the Virtual Boy.
In 1995, Nintendo launched one of its most bizarre, uncomfortable, and poorly designed products: the Virtual Boy. Marketed as a virtual reality gaming experience, it wasn’t virtual at all. Instead, it relied on stereoscopic 3D glasses—like those in movie theaters—to show 32-bit red graphics.
Players would lean into the head-mounted device and use the attached controller to play. The system employed a parallax effect to create an illusion of depth, but all it really achieved was giving players intense headaches.
When the Virtual Boy was launched, it was marketed as a revolutionary step in virtual reality gaming. However, the reality was far from impressive. The system was rushed to market, as Nintendo prioritized the Nintendo 64 instead. Only 22 games were ever released, and the system was discontinued within a year.
5. Napster
Illegally copying software has been around ever since it became possible, and digital music was no exception. With the rise of MP3s in the 1990s, people widely downloaded and shared music across numerous platforms. Among these, Napster stood out as the most popular.
Founded in 1999, Napster quickly became the go-to platform for peer-to-peer file sharing, attracting about 80 million registered users at its peak. However, its success was shadowed by controversy, particularly when Metallica filed a lawsuit against the service.
Dr. Dre and other influential figures soon joined the ranks of those championing Napster, but rather than reducing its reach, the media frenzy only amplified its usage. While most legal battles were settled quietly, one case worked its way through the courts, resulting in steep fines and an injunction that forced the platform to shut down in 2002.
After settling the legal issues, Napster briefly resurfaced online before selling its assets to Bertelsmann for $85 million. Several years later, Best Buy acquired the platform for $121 million, but it was later sold off to MelodyVR.
By 2020, Napster had moved away from its original direct-to-consumer model. The company now relies on business partners to deliver its music streaming services, often white-labeled. In simpler terms, it's like your local grocery store selling products under its own name, though the goods are made by someone else. Now, 'zombie' Napster continues to operate this way in the streaming world.
4. MapQuest
Before everyone had GPS right in their pockets, people had to rely on paper maps to navigate. Up until the 2000s, it was common for drivers to keep a map or two in their cars, but then MapQuest emerged—well, sort of a game-changer.
MapQuest made its debut online in 1996, offering free mapping services to users. Visitors to the site could input their destination and print out turn-by-turn directions on how to get there.
Before MapQuest gained traction, travelers had to rely on others' directions or consult a paper map to plan their route. MapQuest revolutionized navigation and became incredibly popular. In 2000, AOL purchased the company for $1.1 billion.
By 2008, most users who once turned to MapQuest had moved on to alternative programs. Google Maps dominated the landscape, leaving MapQuest largely irrelevant and overshadowed by GPS technology.
Though MapQuest eventually adjusted to the rise of GPS, the company now operates on a much smaller scale. Despite still turning a profit, its revenue pales in comparison to the peak it enjoyed at the turn of the millennium.
3. Segway
In 2001, Dean Kamen unveiled the Segway, a self-balancing two-wheeled personal transportation device. Dubbed the ‘human transporter,’ it was seen as a groundbreaking invention, providing an innovative way to navigate urban areas.
The Segway quickly became a pop culture sensation, appearing in an episode of South Park as well as various other shows and films. Steve Jobs once hailed it as “as big a deal as the PC,” a compliment that was later retracted when he called it “sucked.”
Initially, the Segway made waves with its four- to six-hour recharge time and a top speed of 16 kilometers per hour (10 mph), making it a practical gadget. However, with a hefty price tag of $5,000 or more, it was far too expensive for widespread use.
Rather than becoming a common form of urban transportation, the Segway became a preferred vehicle for security personnel. It also found a niche in Segway tours across many cities. Despite the initial excitement, the Segway never reached the level of personal consumer electronics. The product was discontinued in 2020.
2. Betamax
In today’s world, you can access almost any show or movie at the touch of a button. However, this wasn’t always the case. The Betamax, released in 1975, was the first product to enable a large number of consumers to record and watch television programs later.
In 1976, JVC introduced a competing format called VHS. Despite this, Sony’s Betamax remained the industry leader in video recording and playback, revolutionizing how people watched TV during the late 1970s and early '80s.
The rise of VHS sparked the infamous “videotape format war” between Sony and JVC, as both fought for dominance. Betamax offered higher recording quality with 250 lines compared to VHS’s 240. However, that advantage was overshadowed by one critical factor: cost.
Although Betamax was technically superior, it lost the format war simply because its equipment was more expensive. Consumers favored the more affordable VHS, which ultimately prevailed.
Betamax is no longer in use as a recording technology. However, at one point, it was one of the most innovative and influential media technologies ever created, rivaling even the invention of television. Today, however, it’s largely forgotten, much like VHS will eventually be for future generations.
1. PalmPilot
Today, our cell phones are powerful mini-computers that happen to make phone calls. Back in the '90s, however, the idea of carrying a computer in your pocket seemed impossible—until the release of the PalmPilot.
In 1996, the first PalmPilot Personal Digital Assistant hit the market. Consumers were amazed by its impressive features, which, while cutting-edge at the time, seem quite outdated by today’s standards. The original PalmPilot lacked a backlit screen and had a maximum of 512 KB of RAM, relying on serial communication ports.
While these devices may seem primitive by today's standards, they were considered technological breakthroughs in their time. The public embraced them enthusiastically. PalmPilots enabled users to manage their schedules, eventually send and receive emails, print documents, and take notes—making them highly sought after, especially in business circles.
Palm managed to remain relevant into the 21st century, but its technology quickly became obsolete with the rise of smartphones. HP acquired Palm in 2010, only to effectively shut it down by 2011.
HP later sold the Palm brand to TCL, a Chinese conglomerate, which has since tried to revive the Palm name. However, with few people willing to replace their smartphones with a Palm device, the brand holds little influence in today’s market.
