6 most unsuccessful Apple products
iPhone, Macbook, iMac, iPad – all of these devices quickly became so iconic that they were synonymous with style, quality, and often a way to stand out from the crowd. Was every Apple product a success? No, and it is precisely this embarrassing part of the company’s history that we dedicate today’s article to.
Apple Newton
Apple didn’t always create only beautiful and innovative products. The Newton was the company’s first tablet (yes, it wasn’t the iPad), which was introduced in 1993. It was the size of a VHS cassette, featured a touchscreen designed for stylus input, and ran on a specially developed operating system called Newton OS. The device didn’t achieve success due to its high price, lack of developer interest in creating applications for its platform, and the fact that it was ahead of its time – mobile internet was a distant dream, Wi-Fi was practically nonexistent, and home users typically aspired to have a desktop computer at most.
iTunes Phone
iPhone? Give it a rest; it wasn’t the first. In 2005, Apple unveiled the result of its collaboration with Motorola, the Rokr E1, also known as the iTunes Phone. The device had dual speakers, supported memory cards, and just like an iPod, it could sync with your iTunes library! Let’s also mention that the phone had a poor camera from day one, and you could only store 100 songs in its memory. It suffered its first fiasco in the hands of Steve Jobs during its launch (see it here). It’s embarrassing that Apple associated its brand with such subpar hardware.
Apple Pippin
Have you ever wondered why Apple didn’t join the race between Xbox and Playstation? It’s simple – because they had their own console once, and something went wrong. Meet the Pippin, a gaming console introduced in 1996. The idea was promising – the console was supposed to offer easy expandability with new components and came equipped with a modem. What didn’t work out? The high price ($600), a limited game library, and poor sales (only 42,000 units sold). It’s now considered one of Apple’s biggest failures.
Macintosh TV
Since we’ve touched on the topic of consoles, it’s time to talk about television! Yes, that’s right – Apple once ventured into the production of televisions. The Macintosh TV was a combination of a Sony-made cathode ray tube (CRT) screen with a Macintosh computer. Sounds cool, but the device didn’t allow for simultaneous TV viewing and computer use, and you couldn’t even record TV shows! Only 10,000 units were sold, and production was quickly discontinued.
Apple QuickTake
You should know that in its history, Apple also produced… digital cameras! The QuickTake series included several devices built in collaboration with FujiFilm and Kodak. What was so “Amazing” about them? Absolutely nothing, and probably that’s why Steve Jobs, upon his return to Apple in 1997, immediately withdrew them from the market.
Apple eWorld
In 1994, Apple decided to create its own social networking portal, something akin to Facebook but dedicated to Mac users. The service allowed users to read news, set up their email accounts, and create communities. However, the project was shut down in 1996.
More philosophically, it’s time for conclusions.
Such stories wonderfully illustrate a certain correlation. When we look at our ideals, the people who inspire us, we often only see their successes. Usually, this is a good thing, but over time, it can be demotivating because we think, “How is that possible? Everything they do turns out so well, everything succeeds, and here I am trying and trying, and it’s not working.” The example of Apple reminds us that everyone makes mistakes, and success is merely the result of learning from them and hard work.