Not all tech products succeed once on the market, and some are killed off with little warning. Flashback looks back at failed tech products to see what we can learn by studying their demises.

Navigation

Links

#1: The Newton

February 11th, 2020 · 42 minutes

Today, Apple is well known for its mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, but in the 1990s, the Macintosh-only company invented the Personal Digital Assistant. Its PDA was the Newton, a family of handwriting-based devices that promised mobile productivity. However, after five short years, the whole line was cancelled. This episode, Stephen and Quinn revisit the Newton and talk about what — and who — killed it.

This episode of Flashback is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander, from Smile: Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Get 20% off with your first year.
  • Hullo: A simple, natural pillow designed for comfort. Try it for 60 days.

Stream this episode

Download: MP3 (39.58 MB)