10 Products That Shouldnt Have Been Released In 2010

by Don Reisinger

Google’s Nexus One was a mistake from the day it launched. Although some wondered if the device would be the smartphone to beat Apple’s iPhone, it never turned out that way. Google’s smartphone is failing because the company attempted to force consumers to buy the device online. And since it didn’t have the same PR clout as the iPhone, consumers didn’t go to the Nexus One page nearly as much as Google would have liked. It was a mistake. And its relative failure in today’s marketplace make it a head-scratcher.

The Archos 7 Home Tablet seemed doomed from the time it was released. The Android-based tablet runs Google’s Android OS, but it doesn’t provide access to the Android Market. Worst of all, the device is designed to compete with Apple’s iPad, which by all accounts, is a much better device. Perhaps Archos would have been better off going back to the drawing board.

The JooJoo Tablet caught some headlines this year not for what it offered, but for the circumstances surrounding its release. The device was embroiled in a public legal debate with TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington who had a falling out with the JooJoo’s maker. The device was eventually released to little fanfare and is rightfully called a failure. But based on the events that occurred prior to its release, it might have been better for everyone if it just never came out.

Sony’s PlayStation Move might not be released yet, but already it seems like an odd choice for the video game company to hitch its future to. The PlayStation Move is Sony’s answer to the Nintendo Wii. Users will need to hold the Move controller in order to control the action on screen. As their arms move, the action will be replicated in the game. Sony plans to discuss the details on Move at E3, but it seems like the device would have been better-suited for a release a few years ago. At this point, as motion gaming continues its decline, it might be too little, too late for Sony when the Move launches later this year.

There’s no debating that the HTC Evo 4G is a fine device that, some believe, will usher in a new generation of wireless connectivity in the mobile market. But further inspection reveals that the device is simply ahead of its time. Around the United States, 4G networking is practically non-existent. So, while the Evo 4G might be the phone that gets carriers thinking about delivering 4G, the chances of it actually selling well are awfully slim. Aside from 4G, it does little to trump the iPhone. If the Evo 4G was released a few years from now, maybe its chances of selling well would be different.

AT&T’s decision to cap the amount of data customers can use on the iPad could turn out to be one of the company’s biggest blunders of the year. When Steve Jobs first announced the iPad 3G, he said that the device would come with unlimited data, so its users could do what they want, when they want with the device. It was a welcome feature. But when AT&T announced recently that it would cap iPad data usage at 2GB or 200MB, depending on the plan, all that changed. It was a mistake. And it could cause AT&T some serious trouble in the coming months.

Competing in the social-networking market isn’t necessarily a bad idea for Google. But the way the company has been doing it in 2010 makes little sense. When Google Buzz launched earlier this year, it was rife with flaws and some privacy concerns. Google eventually addressed those issues, but the damage was done. Google Buzz just doesn’t have what it takes to beat Facebook or compete with Twitter. It’s another extraneous social network that most folks won’t ever use. Google would have been wise to spend the money elsewhere.

Apple quietly launched an update to its white MacBook. The device now features slightly improved specs, but the same old design. Worst of all, it costs $999. When will Apple finally realize that it’s time to ditch the MacBook or, at the very least, improve it beyond simple upgrades? At $999, the white MacBook is now caught between the iPad and the MacBook Pro. And all the while, consumers are left wondering why they should opt for the old-style Mac when it offers no discernible benefit over the other products Apple sells. Sorry, but the new and improved white MacBook should have never launched this year.

Microsoft has been having some serious trouble in the smartphone market. After trying desperately to catch up to Apple and Google in the space, the company has released Kin smartphones, which are aimed at those that want to be able to be more social while on-the-go. Microsoft’s justification for the devices seems sound, since more and more people are joining social networks. But the implementation is all wrong. As the iPhone has shown, a simple Facebook app on a device that can do more than the Kin is what consumers really want.

Any device that was released this year featuring Microsoft’s obsolete Windows Mobile 6.5, such as the HTC HD2, shouldn’t have hit store shelves this year. Try as they might, smartphone makers just can’t get Windows Mobile 6.5 off the ground. The software doesn’t appeal to consumers, and it looks like the aged veteran sitting next to an iOS-equipped device. Practically every Windows Mobile 6.5 product performed poorly in stores in 2010. And that won’t change anytime soon.