The biggest tech flops of all time
The top 3 according to 12 votes from people: Google Glass · Samsung Galaxy Note 7 · Amazon Fire Phone. (Updated May 25, 2025.)
Gadgets and products from big tech companies that promised to change everything and ended up as famous failures: from the Apple Newton to Google Glass and Quibi.
Top 20
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1
Google Glass
2013. Smart glasses killed off for consumers by their price and privacy fears.
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2
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
2016. Its batteries caught fire and Samsung had to recall every unit.
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3
Amazon Fire Phone
2014. Amazon's phone with a 3D effect, pulled about a year later.
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4
Microsoft Bob
1995. A cartoon house as a Windows interface.
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5
Ouya
2013. An Android console funded on Kickstarter that never took off.
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6
Juicero
2016. A $700 juicer whose juice packs could be squeezed by hand just as well.
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7
Nintendo Virtual Boy
1995. A red-and-black 3D console that gave players headaches.
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8
Segway
2001. The self-balancing scooter that was going to change cities; production ended in 2020.
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9
Microsoft Zune
2006. The iPod rival that arrived too late and was dropped in 2011.
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10
Windows Vista
2007. Slow, demanding and full of permission prompts.
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11
Apple Newton
1993. A pioneering handheld mocked for its handwriting recognition.
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12
Quibi
2020. Short premium videos for phones; it lasted about six months.
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13
Betamax
1975. Sony's video format that lost the war to VHS.
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14
HD DVD
2006. Toshiba's high-definition disc, defeated by Blu-ray in 2008.
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15
Apple Lisa
1983. A graphical computer so expensive it hardly sold.
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16
Nokia N-Gage
2003. A phone-console you had to hold sideways to make calls.
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17
Microsoft Kin
2010. Social phones for teenagers withdrawn after about 48 days.
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18
HTC First
2013. The "Facebook phone", with Facebook Home on the lock screen.
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19
Apple Pippin
1996. Apple's games console, one of the worst-selling ever.
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20
Clippy
1997. Microsoft Office's paperclip assistant, as famous as it was annoying.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
The Note 7 being banned on planes, what a disaster.