First Movers that Flopped | eWEEK Labs

First Movers that Flopped

Written By
Jim Rapoza
Jim Rapoza
Jul 11, 2007
1 minute read
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Click the image to see the listFirst Movers that Flopped
The right technology at the wrong time.

It’s a sad but common tale in technology. A dynamic company comes up with an innovative new product that utilizes cutting-edge technology in an exciting way that generates lots of hype and attention. But for some reason this new product fails to click with the masses and falls into oblivion, only to see others gain massive success by following in their footsteps.

However, it’s not always a case of right technology at the wrong time. Sometimes these first movers failed to build on their innovation, instead sitting on their initial achievements and letting more nimble competitors refine their idea into something more attractive and functional. And some just made too many mistakes to succeed.

Here is my list of ten technologies and products that were first movers but that failed to move beyond that status. Many of the products on this list weren’t the first to develop a technology but all were among the first to put innovations together in a way that gained lots of attention and hype for the technology.

So take a list at my list of First Movers That Flopped, and comment below to let me know what technologies and products would make your list.

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