15 Gadgets We THOUGHT Were the Future (But FAILED Completely)

15 Gadgets We THOUGHT Were the Future (But Failed Completely)

Some technologies weren't just obsolete—they were supposed to REPLACE everything and failed so spectacularly they became punchlines. Sony lost the Betamax war despite superior technology. Microsoft spent $10+ billion on Windows Phone and captured 3% market share. Toshiba bet $1 billion on HD DVD and lost to Blu-ray in 18 months. These weren't gadgets that vanished because smartphones replaced them—these were gadgets that failed because they were the WRONG future.

This video explores 15 technologies backed by billions of dollars, marketed as revolutionary, and hyped as inevitable. From Betamax to Google Glass, from Segway to Fire Phone, these gadgets prove that being first, being better, and having more features doesn't guarantee success. Sometimes the future fails. Expensively. Hilariously. Completely.

We traded superior quality for convenience (Betamax). We rejected creepy surveillance glasses (Google Glass). We refused to pay $5,000 to look like mall cops (Segway). The lesson? The future isn't inevitable—it's just expensive and usually wrong.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction: When the Future Failed
0:43 - #15: Betamax (Sony's Superior Loss)
2:14 - #14: HD DVD (The $1 Billion Mistake)
4:01 - #13: Microsoft Zune (The Brown Failure)
6:08 - #12: Google Glass (Glassholes)
7:58 - #11: 3D TVs (The Headache Revolution)
10:06 - #10: Segway (Mall Cop Mobile)
12:07 - #9: LaserDisc (Premium Nobody Wanted)
14:33 - #8: Virtual Boy (Nintendo's VR Disaster)
16:39 - #7: WebTV (Internet on Your TV)
18:40 - #6: Microsoft Kinect (Controller-Free Failure)
20:32 - #5: Amazon Fire Phone (99¢ After 6 Weeks)
22:13 - #4: Tablet PCs Pre-iPad (Microsoft's Touch Fail)
24:00 - #3: Windows Phone ($10B for 3% Market Share)
25:29 - #2: Netbooks (Too Small to Survive)
27:23 - #1: HD Radio (Perfecting a Dead Medium)
29:08 - Conclusion: Why Better Technology Loses

BeforeWiFi explores life before smartphones and WiFi changed everything, the technology, gadgets, and everyday moments from 1990-2010.

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