Apple’s iPhone “isn’t the first tech product to generate a deafening amount of buzz before its availability in stores. Here’s our list of the most-hyped tech products of all time. Some thrived, others died, but all generated more than their fair share of ink,” Carolyn Duffy Marsan writes for Network World.
• 1984 – Apple Macintosh: Since its debut in January 1984, the Mac has gone through many design changes, but it has kept its rebel image.
• 1993 – Intel Pentium chip: Intel Inside television ads urged PC buyers to request Pentium processors.
• 1993 – Apple Newton: Former Apple CEO John Sculley will go down in history for coining the phrase “personal digital assistant.”
• 1994 – IBM OS/2 Warp: IBM’s alternative to Microsoft’s Windows operating system never caught on with the masses.
• 1995 – Microsoft Windows 95: Look, ma, I got an upside-down and backwards, counterintuitive, ugly, fake Mac!*
• 1996 – Oracle’s Network Computer: It was supposed to unseat the PC on corporate desktops.
• 2001 – The Segway: Speculation was rampant before award-winning inventor Dean Kamen unveiled his mysterious device code-named Ginger.
• 2002 – Microsoft Tablet PC: Bill Gates’ vision of a tablet PC and digital pen has yet to catch on.
*Susbstitute description by MacDailyNews because Network World wouldn’t dare.
More details and some interesting links in the full article here.
Try as we might, we don’t see Microsoft’s Tablet PC or Oracle’s NC belonging on this list. Do you see anything else that’s missing or undeserving?
Pet Rock, Hula Hoop
WTF!!! no tickle me Elmo?
What about the mega-fantastico Zune?
/sarcasm subroutine enabled.
How bout the CueCat?
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flying squirles and ballmers “Q” (yeah right, as if that piece of crap can compare to iPhone, nice try there though ballmer! i know the reporter was laughing at you when you mentioned it!)
How about adding “Microsoft Bob” , one of Microsoft’s more hillarious user interface add-ons.
What nonsense!
IBM PCjr
Pet Rock doesn’t belong on this list because one, it’s not Tech, and two, it was a fad, just like the Hula Hoop. Those were word-of-mouth products that lasted the blink of the eye – at least for Pet Rocks – Hula Hoops are still around…just not in every household, thank heavens.
Electric Car – hyped by press but a big fat milk dud
Hydrogen Car – hyped by press, but negligble benefits
Hybrid Car – see above
Hillary Clinton…oh what, no Tech there, either
; – )
I’m sure the “radio” or the “television”, or even the “horseless carriage” should have at least been honorable mentions.
I mean…at least a step above the famed Tablet PC…
Atari 2600????