Time's top ten tech failures of the last decade

[BuddhaRhubarb]

vonage? as a consumer, it rocks.

I would add BlueRay.

Has Bluray really failed?  I mean, I think it's retarded and have no intention of upgrading my DVD collection, but it seems to be given alright given that there's an existing alternative with equal quality in about 99% of applications and half the price floating around, with an installed base of hundreds of millions.

Luckily you don't have to as Bu-ray players generally do a decent upconverting job of reg DVDs (as does my obsolete and dirt cheap HD-DVD palyer) ... I thiunk that despite the planned obsolences angle Blu ray is Sony's only successful product besides the playstation franchise (and it succeded solely because it was packaged as part of that winning product (PS3) ... so I agree. not a fail. long term? Sure... all tech fails long term.

I dislike the Youtube inclusion also. the guys who created it changed the way people view video online, and made a fuckton of money from it's sale. Non-Fail.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Anyway, I think listing youtube was nigh on retarded.

With 100 million users, they will find some way to turn a profit eventually.

There was a story of an analyst that estimated youtube is losing $500 million a year for Google. Google disputed the numbers, but the actual results are not public. If youtube is losing that much, it is a problem.

I call bullshit on said analyst then.... if that's based on some kind of lost profits from people viewing free stuff it's an EPIC Strawman. People do not pay for anything they can get for free. and will take free things they would never in a million years pay for.

anyone who doesn't realize this is trapped in the last century and needs a time machine to get to the present. Good luck.

[Norgy]

For "tech failure", I would add IP telephones.
There's almost no benefit to the customer, very little profit to be made, and less reliability than landlines. No wonder it's a dud.

After reading the YouTube nomination, I see why it is included, as it is not (currently) an earner for Google, which is why they included it.
However, there are lots of other, bigger tech failures (like MSN Spaces) not included if ROI is the yardstick.

[Caliga]

*shrug* Guess so.  Never in a million years would I invest in a concern that takes four years to figure out a business model that generates reliable revenue.

How much money did MSFT make in its first 4 years as a company?

But was it making money (even if it wasn't making much money), or just promising that it would make money someday?  That's a key difference.

[Savonarola]

For "tech failure", I would add IP telephones.
There's almost no benefit to the customer, very little profit to be made, and less reliability than landlines. No wonder it's a dud.

VOIP phones should be much cheaper, (or much more profitable,) since it doesn't require the specialized circuitry of the Public Switching Telephone Network; you can just use routers.  Reliability has been an issue for us on the Cellular end; UMTS was supposed to be able to handle calls through VOIP, but that technology hasn't emerged yet.

[alfred russel]

Anyway, I think listing youtube was nigh on retarded.

With 100 million users, they will find some way to turn a profit eventually.

There was a story of an analyst that estimated youtube is losing $500 million a year for Google. Google disputed the numbers, but the actual results are not public. If youtube is losing that much, it is a problem.

I call bullshit on said analyst then.... if that's based on some kind of lost profits from people viewing free stuff it's an EPIC Strawman. People do not pay for anything they can get for free. and will take free things they would never in a million years pay for.

anyone who doesn't realize this is trapped in the last century and needs a time machine to get to the present. Good luck.

It was based on the estimated cost of maintaining the site. Apparently keeping a zillion video clips for people to access at any time is quite expensive.

[Caliga]

 

I assumed that the LOL INTERNETS was a series of tubes that led through Teh Google to a giant electronic bag of holding.  Man was I off. 

[lustindarkness]

I assumed that the LOL INTERNETS was a series of tubes that led through Teh Google to a giant electronic bag of holding.  Man was I off. 

Yeah, you should know it is a box, not a bag. A CUBE to be exact.

[MadImmortalMan]

For "tech failure", I would add IP telephones.
There's almost no benefit to the customer, very little profit to be made, and less reliability than landlines. No wonder it's a dud.

Switching to IP can save you a fuckton in long distance charges if your organization is even a little bit geographically diversified. And if your company is of any respectable size, then it's irresponsible not to be using it. It's become almost ubiquitous in the consumer market too. Maybe not in Norway though, I don't know.

[Norgy]

Switching to IP can save you a fuckton in long distance charges if your organization is even a little bit geographically diversified. And if your company is of any respectable size, then it's irresponsible not to be using it. It's become almost ubiquitous in the consumer market too. Maybe not in Norway though, I don't know.

It's probably a "Not in Norway/Europe" thing.
Landlines are just as cheap, since the threat of IP telephones brought the prices down in a very competitive market. Yes, we have those too. 

[Neil]

Luckily you don't have to as Bu-ray players generally do a decent upconverting job of reg DVDs (as does my obsolete and dirt cheap HD-DVD palyer) ... I thiunk that despite the planned obsolences angle Blu ray is Sony's only successful product besides the playstation franchise (and it succeded solely because it was packaged as part of that winning product (PS3) ... so I agree. not a fail. long term? Sure... all tech fails long term.

To be sure.  I have a Bluray player, but I don't own a single Bluray disc.  My wife once rented a Bluray movie, but only once.  Why waste the money, when DVD is just as good?  Surely Sony can't be happy with that situation.

As for Sony, their consumer electronics remain successful, and that's the core of their business.  Although the gadget business can be lucrative, they still have their core. and their movies.

[Caliga]

As for Sony, their consumer electronics remain successful, and that's the core of their business.  Although the gadget business can be lucrative, they still have their core. and their movies.

Actually isn't Sony doing extremely poorly right now? 

[Neil]

As for Sony, their consumer electronics remain successful, and that's the core of their business.  Although the gadget business can be lucrative, they still have their core. and their movies.

Actually isn't Sony doing extremely poorly right now? 

It's likely.  Everybody is doing extremely poorly right now.

[saskganesh]

vonage? as a consumer, it rocks.

I would add BlueRay.

Has Bluray really failed?  I mean, I think it's retarded and have no intention of upgrading my DVD collection, but it seems to be given alright given that there's an existing alternative with equal quality in about 99% of applications and half the price floating around, with an installed base of hundreds of millions.

well that's why I think its failed. for the consumer mass, there's no real reason to upgrade, especially in a recessionary year where  they are cutting discretionary spending. Technophilies will embrace it, but for the rest of the people who use and depend on technology, they'll likely be resistant to adapting it quickly.

[Syt]

Plus, blu-ray discs cost about twice as much as normal DVDs over here.