2014 is here already and now we have the opportunity to look back at all the tech achievements of the year from a whole new perspective. Some would say that the year 2013 was marked by the great advancements in the field of technology. For some others, this year talks of failure. Our belief is in true cynicism and that’s why we’ve checked out the ten technology failures that have plagued 2013!
10. Apple’s iOS 7 Release:
When Apple announced that it was going to be releasing a new version of software for its devices, it was received with mixed feelings. Some liked the old iOS 6 and hated to see it go. Still, everyone believed in Apple and chose to download it anyways. But bad news hit Apple when the company realized that so many people were trying to download the new software at once that it caused major failure in Apple’s systems and many could not complete the download.
Apple users expressed their rage on Twitter and this frustration was actually so bad that Buzzfeed termed it as ‘Apocalypse’! There are a good many reasons as to why iOS 7 was not welcomed with a great applause by the Apple users. The iMessage bug, battery drain problem, illegible fonts, security issues, slowing down of older devices, calender syncing problem, no universal search etc. are some of the reasons why the release of iOS 7 was a major failure in the year 2013.
9. Windows 8:
At first, the hyped up release of Windows 8 was so anticipated that almost no one could wait. However, when Windows finally released its new touch-based operating system for multiple devices, it was so buggy that Windows 7 products continued to sell more often than Windows 8 products.
Apart from the bugs, there are some notable changes which caused the Windows 8 to fail from our point of view.
- Start Button has disappeared. OMG!
- “Two OS in one” interface has been introduced, which can be very uncomfortable to use.
- Windows 8 is great for touching, but really poor with a mouse.
- Multitasking is not smooth.
- The app store is not very rich and lacks a lot of important apps.
8. Facebook Phone:
Mark Zuckerburg thought that, perhaps, he could increase the revenue of the now-public Facebook share by releasing something revolutionary. Enter the Facebook Phone. Boy was Zuckerburg wrong! The phone was so buggy and so terribly made, when put in comparison to other smartphones, that almost no one was willing to buy it. And those who were sorely disappointed.
7. Windows Surface Pro:
Windows will never be out of limelight. Originally, in 2012, the Surface RT by Windows was supposed to be a tablet that finally conquered the great and terrible iPad. Sadly, it failed in that regard. So, Microsoft decided they would give it another go with the Surface Pro. Sadly, again, the result was about the same.
The Windows Surface Pro features Windows 8, which is actually not ready for prime time yet. Besides, Windows Pro tablets cannot run desktop apps. Legacy apps do not run smoothly and the price is also not within the affordable range for consumer tablets. All these reasons have put Windows Surface Pro in our list.
6. The End of Google Reader:
Many believe that Google made a horrendous mistake when they let this technology baby of theirs go. Essentially, Google Reader allowed millions to keep in touch with their beloved RSS feeds, but that was all stopped when Google cut the cord. In fact, they made this decision in the face of many petitions from there own users. According to Google, the usage of Google Reader has declined over time and so they have decided to take it out. Smart? I don’t think so!
5. Moto X is out:
This year, Motorola amped up its game to release the Moto X, a new Android smartphone. To much dismay, the phone was not nearly able to compete with the Samsung Galaxy phones as company leaders hoped it would. And Apple products–are you kidding me? It didn’t stand a chance.
These are some of the reasons why Moto X failed:
- No expandable storage.
- Camera settings are very limited.
- The display is 720p and no the expected 1080p.
- The price is far too high against what the phone has to offer.
- The custom-ordered phone is exclusive only for the AT&T users.
4. SimCity – Too Small:
It was actually quite comical when SimCity came out this year. Maxis and Electronic Arts required that all players log into an online server in order to build their cities. This was supposed to be the revolution that the old SimCity games needed–online community. Instead, so many people tried to log in at launch that the entire game went down. Classic! I would like to know the names of these decision makers.
3. Healthcare.gov:
Once again, our fine tax dollars have been hard at work putting some of the brightest minds in office. Well, not exactly. The bureaucratic institution in charge of creating the new national healthcare website for America were somewhat lacking in technical skills. As soon as the site launched into beautiful flight, it crashed into terrible flames. In fact, the whole scenario was so bad that Microsoft had to come in and help the government out to fix the problem.
2. Blackberry OS 10:
As everyone already knows, it has been a good while since Blackberry has contributed anything foundational to the smartphone market. Sure, they led the race when the whole tech craze began around 2000, but they’ve since fallen far behind. So, in a massive effort to revitalize the product, company leaders came up with, and massively advertised, a new OS for a brand new set of phones that they were planning to build this year. Quite simply put, the attempt was unsuccessful, and Blackberry is still where it belongs–in the past.
1. NSA Security Leaks:
Without a doubt, the biggest tech-related failure of the year was promoted by the National Security Agency’s very own Edward Snowden. Hosting all the newest technology, the NSA was touted as the largest protector of America’s safety from terrorists. It was created as a part of the Patriot Act, which was established as law under President Bush’s second term. Instead, Snowden gave out leaks of NSA information to the public that showed that the NSA was using its own technology in violently illegal ways to measure the activity of America’s own citizens and many others. In reality, this event allowed Many Americans to see that their homeland was not, truly, “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.
John Walker, Ishraq Rayeed Ahmed
Image Credits: Flickr
