In 2010, slightly before the iPad became the tablet which ruled all tablets (for a while at least), the JooJoo was released. If the strange name doesn’t sound familiar it is because the product never really took off. Its release was plagued with naming drama and for some reason, even though it started out as the CrunchPad, the name JooJoo ultimately prevailed.
When the iPad launched, it became infinitely clear that the JooJoo was simply inferior. It was too heavy, hard to operate and bad at playing videos. The final nail in its coffin was that It didn’t have any apps while the iPad debuted with many. When you take into account that both tablets cost the same, it’s not surprising that the JooJoo was discontinued only a year after its release. The company famous for its PDA could not make the transition into tablets.
Joost
Video calling software Skype was a big hit and its makers were ready to take on their next challenge, letting people watch videos from anywhere on the internet. They named the product Joost and it was launched in 2007, amidst promises of your favorite TV shows on-demand and live sporting events. There are many websites that you know, such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu who ended up doing just that and were incredible successes, unfortunately, Joost was not.
The first issue was that Joost users had to download a program to their computer, similarly to Skype. The second and much bigger one was that the program was hard to use and often had video delays. Two years after its launch, Joost was sold and in 2012 it was shut down completely. This web game also had an extremely short life.
Google Lively
Avatar games like Second Life and The Sims were extremely popular in the 2000s because they gave players the chance to be a completely different person than they were in reality. Your avatar, which you designed, could meet people, talk to them, buy things and experience a new life. These games were a hit, which prompted Google to come out with its own version called Lively. Their game, which was launched in July 2008, was only online for four and a half months.
When the economy went bust in 2008, Google decided to focus on more important things and dropped Lively like a hot potato. Apparently, if you have never gotten over the loss, some version of the game is still out there, maintained by extremely dedicated users. This next gadget predated the iPad, but in the end, it just couldn’t compete.
Blackberry PlayBook
Back in the day, Blackberries were more than just a phone or a PDA (personal digital assistant), they were a status symbol. They let the world know that you were taking care of business. Whoever was checking their Blackberry while they were out and about was both busy and important and they wanted you to know it. The devices, however, were not just about making a statement, they were also convenient and easy to use. The company should have kept those things in mind when designing the Blackberry PlayBook which came out in 2011.
This tablet-style device was great if you wanted to watch videos or browse the web, but it had one major design flaw, you couldn’t check your email on it. The only way to do so was to use the PlayBook together with your regular Blackberry, which made using it more complicated for people who owned a Blackberry and impossible for those who didn’t. Users found this unacceptable and the PlayBook quickly fell out of favor. This streaming giant decided to make things more complicated for their users in this almost unwatchable fail.
Qwikster
Netflix made a name for itself by making things easier for its users by letting them skip the drive to the video store. Over time though, streaming became an ever-expanding part of their business. In 2011, the company decided that it would be a good idea to create a new service called Qwikster to handle the mail DVD rentals, while Netflix would continue to focus on streaming television and movies.
Company execs may have thought this was a great idea, but the consumers did not. They already had one account which was for everything and had no desire to complicate things. The move caused Netflix stocks to plummet and CEO Reed Hastings announced that the plan was canceled only 23 days after it was announced. This competitor wanted to compete with Apple so bad it hurt and failed.