When Hype Falls Flat: 15 Products That Failed to Meet Expectations

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It happens to us all, the promise of greatness from a product that falls far short of expectations.

We were promised the world, and instead we’re left wallowing in disappointment and underwhelmed.

Everyone has experienced it, whether it’s an invention supposedly so revolutionary you just had to have it only for it to be revealed as nothing more than smoke & mirrors, or a much-awaited launch that failed instead of flying.

This article is going to explore 15 products that let us down. So let’s take a look at which ones made our list!

1. Airship Travel

Away from the endless list of Google innovations, Airship travel had its ‘spice in the rum’ moments. It was, by several accounts, pitched as the seamless approach to long-distance travel.

Excited to revolutionize travel and replace the automobile, airship travel didn’t live to see the Mach speed age.

2. Google +

Google+, someone has espoused, was supposed to push Facebook off the internet rave-rail with its array of features; the social network, however, faded into oblivion after an unsuccessful hype stint.

One user affirms the ‘hardline, invite-only system’ the innovators adopted at launch lured the idea to ruin.

Another user thinks the mandatory cross-platform integration of the applet with Youtube to grow Google+ popularity birthed the social network’s demise.

3. Moviepass

Moviepass rhapsodized its era; hard to believe the Netflix and HBO of this world would ever come close.

‘Such a horrible consumer-friendly concept’ is the way someone describes it. Another thinks it is ridiculous how much hard to bank idea like that could pull any investors in the first place.

4. HD DVD

Hard to reconcile the widely proclaimed hype with the offering of the HD DVD.

This trumpeted innovation should have performed better, especially in the light of HDR pictures in the current cinematic space. ‘I still remember half the movies being blue and red,’ one person recounts.

5. Deadly Insects

Remember the warnings about Murder Hornets? The news made them out to be gigantic insects that would quickly incapacitate you.

Before that, there were Killer Bees. I remember as a child being scared, thinking bees were going to end all of humanity.

6. Google Glass

Do you remember google glass? One user thinks it’s easily one of the hyped pieces that didn’t meet expectations. Daniel, a contributor on the thread, claimed the bogginess and docky nature of google glass was its major undoing.

Several people feel privacy issues around this product affected its commercial viability.

The supposedly intuitive technology offers more privacy concerns than beneficial features.

7. 3D TV

There is a consensus about the failure of 3D TV. One person expounds that the offerings of the technology in respect to improving watch time experience failed a function of the absence of enough movies filmed in 3D.

A cluster of comments also complained about the need to spend extra bucks on 3D glasses, plus the difficulty experienced due to its dorkiness.

3D TV sounds like seeing through the 2020s in 2050 vision!

8. Smaller Phones

We could imagine some years back that this future would have nearly invisible yet sophisticated phone devices, one user says, explaining the craze for smaller devices as the height of cell phone tech genius back in the day.

I wouldn’t want to watch my Netflix drama squinting to know if Kiefer Sutherland was wearing a Nike or Adidas while hopping on a truck of bioweapon to save fictional America. Nope, I’ll pass.

9. New Sodas

Remember New Coke and Crystal Pepsi? These new colas were supposed to take over the soft drink industry, but were major misses for both Coca-Cola and Pepsico.

The initial reaction to Crystal Pepsi was solid and in its launch year, made enough revenue to own 1% of the market. While that sounds low, it is in fact incredible. So much so, Coca-Cola launched Tab Clear immediately afterward.

But a year later, Pepsi discontinued the soft drink.

10. Google Wave

Tipped to replace email, having brought a more personalized feel to electronic mailing, several people seamlessly consider Google Wave as one of the over-hyped innovative flops.

Judging from another person’s account, Google Wave was pretty good in that it made group discussions easy. According to one user, its failure was that the technology came way ahead of its time.

11. Asbestos

For a short time, asbestos was the greatest thing out there. Homes were using asbestos siding because it was virtually indestructible.

Unfortunately, soon after it went mainstream, we learned its fibers were unhealthy and caused all sorts of respiratory issues.

12. Fyre Festival

This festival in the Bahamas was supposed be a who’s who for up and coming influencers. If you wanted to be known in the world, you needed to come.

However, once people arrived they learned something was amiss and the entire thing turned out to be a major scam.

13. Hoverboards

According to several people, hoverboards were the totem of trends, with music videos and popular acts fielding them during the rave.

Nearly everyone had them before they fizzled out like smoke from the mouth of a match stick. People dumped them ‘because they break down so easily and quickly after purchase,’ a user named Shelby emphasized.

14. Xbox Kinect

The rave of the Xbox Kinect excited first-time gamers back in the day. Reminiscing those hyped moments, one person says the highlight of the pumped game was in the ‘Xbox On and Xbox Off’ feature.

Another says nothing trumps getting sent off in Fifa ‘when the mic hears you swear at the Tv.’ Looks kind of like the one instance nobody ever needs a voice prompt.

15. Segway

The Segway was supposed to revolutionize how people got around. No more walking or biking, using a Segway was safer and faster.

Alas, the concept didn’t take off. Now, you only see a Segway if you visit a shopping mall as security guards use them to get around.

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This thread inspired this article.