Top 10 tech flops of 2012
As the year 2012 comes to a close, it's time for recap. Time to look back and see what worked and what didn't in the world of technology. While there many technologies and products that made an impact and were lapped up by users there were also some which failed to live up to the expectations and the buzz created.
Here we look at the top 10 tech misses of the year.
APPLE MAPS
Apple launched its home-grown Maps application in 2012, bumping off the popular Google Maps as the default mapping software for its mobile platform. However, this product was far from perfect and the company faced a lot of flak from users over its inaccuracies.
CEO Tim Cook was compelled to issues an apology for the flawed Apple Maps and even asked users to refer to rivals' products, including map apps from Nokia and Google. The ouster of software chief Scott Forstall is also said to be due to Apple Maps, for which he was responsible. When Google released its own Maps app for iOS, the application went to become the top app on iTunes within a day.
AAKASH 2
Aakash 2 can be termed another dud of 2012. The ultra-cheap tablet, which will work only in a cloud ecosystem without Google Play, finally reared its head in November, and the government said it will be sold at Rs 1,900, achieving its price point of $35.
However, the government was quick to announce that its first batch would be used for training teachers. This means that students who were waiting for the device will have to wait some more time till they get their hands on it.
Facebook IPO
Facebook's made a lacklustre debut on Wall Street. What was being called "biggest technology initial public offer in history" turned out to be a nightmare for investors. Facebook is also said to have set the higher price for its shares despite a slowdown in its online advertising business and its concerns about the growing use of mobile devices, an area in which its advertising revenue was still weak.
The company's stock tanked soon after it came in the market and shareholders made a beeline to dump it as soon as the lockup period ended. Over the months post-IPO, Facebook's marketcap plunged by over $50 billion.
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10, which is considered to be the last means of salvation for Research in Motion, did not make its debut this year. The company chose to delay the launch of the newest iteration of its mobile operating system since it was not finished. This led to a rapid decline in the company's stock value, which revived when the company started showing BB10's features to operators and reviews.
Google Nexus Q
Google's attempt to enter its target audience's living rooms was greeted with much anticipation. The media streaming device could relay multimedia content from smartphones, tablets and other Android devices onto your TV.
However, the product was unceremoniously dropped from the search giant's website for its Nexus line-up. Google has not spoken of the device or any further developments it is working on. Several analysts had called Nexus Q "expensive and feature lacking".
iOS Trojan Attack
Apple had a pristine reputation when it came to defending its iPhones, iPad and iPods against malware, at least until 2012 that is. A mobile Trojan that aims to steal users' contacts made its way past Apple's censors and into App Store, ending iOS' streak as the malware-free platform for mobile devices.
Ultrabooks
Ultrabooks failed to make an impact in 2012, which was supposed to be their year. Launched a year ago, these laptops are more powerful and lighter than traditional notebooks and can be used to perform all the same tasks, but with longer battery life.
Targeted at the booming tablet market, ultrabooks failed to boost the sales of computers and curb the growth march of iPad and other rivals, giving it a spot on this list. In October this year, research firm IHS iSuppli in a report said that ultrabooks have "fallen short of expectations." The company also cut its shipment forecast for the devices to 10.3 million units for 2102, less than half of the 22 million iSuppli earlier forecasted.
iPhone 5 shortage
Apple launched iPhone 5 with much fanfare and was quick to term it a 'jewel'. However, the company failed to ensure that users got its hands on the device. The company's flagship smartphone was plagued with supply chain problems, which resulted in the lack of sufficient number of devices for all.
In India, iPhone 5 came with a waiting period of over 2-3 weeks, even though there were enough units for everyone in the grey market.
Intel Phones
Intel is facing heat in the chip-making arena as sales of PCs spiral downwards while mobile devices' grow exponentially. The company forayed into the smartphone arena with Lava Xolo X900 with 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading, a technology that provides the chip with dual-core computing capabilities.
The phone performed poorly on most synthetic benchmarks, such as Linpack, Benchmark Pi, Quadrant, BrowserMark etc. The poor performance was also seen in Motorola Razr i, another Intel-powered Android phone meant only for UK. Intel, despite the buzz about its mobile processor, managed only tepid sales of its devices during the year.
Here we look at the top 10 tech misses of the year.
APPLE MAPS
Apple launched its home-grown Maps application in 2012, bumping off the popular Google Maps as the default mapping software for its mobile platform. However, this product was far from perfect and the company faced a lot of flak from users over its inaccuracies.
CEO Tim Cook was compelled to issues an apology for the flawed Apple Maps and even asked users to refer to rivals' products, including map apps from Nokia and Google. The ouster of software chief Scott Forstall is also said to be due to Apple Maps, for which he was responsible. When Google released its own Maps app for iOS, the application went to become the top app on iTunes within a day.
AAKASH 2
Aakash 2 can be termed another dud of 2012. The ultra-cheap tablet, which will work only in a cloud ecosystem without Google Play, finally reared its head in November, and the government said it will be sold at Rs 1,900, achieving its price point of $35.
However, the government was quick to announce that its first batch would be used for training teachers. This means that students who were waiting for the device will have to wait some more time till they get their hands on it.
Facebook IPO
Facebook's made a lacklustre debut on Wall Street. What was being called "biggest technology initial public offer in history" turned out to be a nightmare for investors. Facebook is also said to have set the higher price for its shares despite a slowdown in its online advertising business and its concerns about the growing use of mobile devices, an area in which its advertising revenue was still weak.
The company's stock tanked soon after it came in the market and shareholders made a beeline to dump it as soon as the lockup period ended. Over the months post-IPO, Facebook's marketcap plunged by over $50 billion.
BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10, which is considered to be the last means of salvation for Research in Motion, did not make its debut this year. The company chose to delay the launch of the newest iteration of its mobile operating system since it was not finished. This led to a rapid decline in the company's stock value, which revived when the company started showing BB10's features to operators and reviews.
Google Nexus Q
Google's attempt to enter its target audience's living rooms was greeted with much anticipation. The media streaming device could relay multimedia content from smartphones, tablets and other Android devices onto your TV.
However, the product was unceremoniously dropped from the search giant's website for its Nexus line-up. Google has not spoken of the device or any further developments it is working on. Several analysts had called Nexus Q "expensive and feature lacking".
iOS Trojan Attack
Apple had a pristine reputation when it came to defending its iPhones, iPad and iPods against malware, at least until 2012 that is. A mobile Trojan that aims to steal users' contacts made its way past Apple's censors and into App Store, ending iOS' streak as the malware-free platform for mobile devices.
Ultrabooks
Ultrabooks failed to make an impact in 2012, which was supposed to be their year. Launched a year ago, these laptops are more powerful and lighter than traditional notebooks and can be used to perform all the same tasks, but with longer battery life.
Targeted at the booming tablet market, ultrabooks failed to boost the sales of computers and curb the growth march of iPad and other rivals, giving it a spot on this list. In October this year, research firm IHS iSuppli in a report said that ultrabooks have "fallen short of expectations." The company also cut its shipment forecast for the devices to 10.3 million units for 2102, less than half of the 22 million iSuppli earlier forecasted.
iPhone 5 shortage
Apple launched iPhone 5 with much fanfare and was quick to term it a 'jewel'. However, the company failed to ensure that users got its hands on the device. The company's flagship smartphone was plagued with supply chain problems, which resulted in the lack of sufficient number of devices for all.
In India, iPhone 5 came with a waiting period of over 2-3 weeks, even though there were enough units for everyone in the grey market.
Near Field Communications or NFC was considered to be a gamechanging feature for smartphones in 2012. The data transfer technology could not only be used to transfer songs and files between various devices with just a tap, but also be used for mobile payments.
In 2012, NFC was supposed to be the technology that would be adopted by retailers to accept payments from mobile phones and make transactions easier and safer. Though some like Starbucks and Square tried, this endeavour was largely a failure and Apple did not even include NFC in its latest devices.
In 2012, NFC was supposed to be the technology that would be adopted by retailers to accept payments from mobile phones and make transactions easier and safer. Though some like Starbucks and Square tried, this endeavour was largely a failure and Apple did not even include NFC in its latest devices.
Intel Phones
Intel is facing heat in the chip-making arena as sales of PCs spiral downwards while mobile devices' grow exponentially. The company forayed into the smartphone arena with Lava Xolo X900 with 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading, a technology that provides the chip with dual-core computing capabilities.
The phone performed poorly on most synthetic benchmarks, such as Linpack, Benchmark Pi, Quadrant, BrowserMark etc. The poor performance was also seen in Motorola Razr i, another Intel-powered Android phone meant only for UK. Intel, despite the buzz about its mobile processor, managed only tepid sales of its devices during the year.
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