What do experts say about throwing money at crowdfunded gadgets? DON’T! Let’s face it. It’s easy for technology-based start-ups to claim that their next gadget is going to take over the world. However, that is no different than having your money stolen right from your hand. 

The past decade has given us more failed gadgets than we can ever imagine. From wearables to smartphones with battery disasters – we are about to take a look at all the gadgets that went down the hill and took your money along. So, let’s not waste any more time because we have got a huge load of fails to cover. 

Gadgets That Could’ve Done Better 

Faraday Future

We are starting off with a juicy one. In case you missed it, Faraday Future claimed to be the next Tesla and it blew up. We are not saying that the idea of introducing a second electrical vehicle choice to American consumers is bad. It’s just that it still needs a bit of homework. Because it was a rushed venture, FF went bankrupt, and right now, it’s struggling to get back on its feet. 

Apple Watch “Fancy” Edition

Apple introduced a whopping $10,000 watch. That’s right, let that sink in. Sounds like Apple got a little biased while putting this gadget together because let’s face it. A $10,000 watch that gets obsolete after every year or two, can only attract celebrities. Not us, because we are working hard to keep things in our 1-bedroom apartment, afloat.  

Soon after the launch, the sales went plummeting southwards and Apple had to stick with its conventional Apple Watches only.  

Microsoft Band

Microsoft took a BIG chance with their Microsoft Band, didn’t they? Well, the gadget badly failed. First of all, let’s talk about the appearance, which bore a remarkable resemblance to wrist nametags worn by prisoners. The band was equipped with all the fancy features that could have kept it surviving. There was a fitness tracker. And users could also place Starbucks orders with it. However, Microsoft eventually had to cancel the Band, and offer refunds to consumers who were willing to give it a shot. 

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Albeit BTS has played a prominent role in giving Samsung a second chance at Fold. But the ones who know what went down with the first Fold, won’t be able to forget it. Well, the failure of this product started when a huge number of customers received busted units. Within just a first few days, the foldable screen broke. Samsung had to redesign the whole thing and relaunch it later. Samsung may have redeemed itself in the eyes of its loyal customers. But, in the future, the tech giant needs to put in a lot of work before sending the gadget through. 

Lily Drone 

Lily Drone was another crowdfunding disaster launched in 2015. Apparently, it was going to be a waterproof drone. It seemed cool because it could take off automatically when tossed in the air. Plus, it could also take pictures. Even though Lily Drone seemed like a recipe for a perfect drone, it failed. Creators allegedly used GoPro footage, claiming that it was taken from Lily Drone.

Moreover, the company received approximately 60,000 pre-orders, none of which were shipped – or maybe even produced. Eventually, Lily Drone was sued, but refunds were never made. Looks like Lily Drone should’ve learned something from Spectrum Internet for always delivering the promises and never flinching.   

HTC’s Facebook Phone

The early 2010s were something for Facebook. Everybody wanted to use Facebook all the time. Hence, phone companies like HTC jumped on the opportunity and soon introduced phones with the integrated Facebook feature. HTC launched Status and Salsa – the first phones to come with a nice and shiny Facebook home button. 

HTC Status and Salsa soon became ‘cringe’ because the integrated Facebook feature became way over the top. There were timeline photos scattered all over the home screen. Plus, there was a risk of privacy breaches too. 

AirPower

AirPower is Apple’s biggest failure yet. Looks like Apple over-promised and introduced a new kind of wireless charger that could simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Of course, the tech behind this gadget was overwhelming and Apple was struggling to put it together. Thus, soon after, Apple called the production off in a rather unceremonious way. So, if you are still wondering where did the AirPower go? Well, it’s not happening. 

HP Touchpad

Apple called dibs in launching a futuristic tablet known as the iPad. After the launch of the 2nd Generation iPad, HP decided to try its luck with it. The HP TouchPad was labeled a terrible disaster right after 2 months of its launch. The company called off the production of HP TouchPads and sold all of its components to LG for the production of TVs. 

Blackberry

There was a time when Blackberry phones were what everybody needed to make a ‘statement’. But, with every eye towards the iPhone and the latest Android phones, Blackberry decided to give a shot at touch phones. The company started with PlayBook tablets, followed by Blackberry 10 OS.

Blackberry forgot that everybody loved their phones for their classic QWERTY keypads. If anything, they should have relaunched their classic phones to stay in the game. Just like Fiber Optic internet, the classic Blackberry phones can never go wrong! But, looks like they had something else in their mind. 

All Things Concluded

We will forever remain grateful to tech companies for introducing us to new gadgets, year after year. Even though the ones we have mentioned above left a lot of us disappointed. But, if you look on the bright side, those mistakes are why there was an iPhone 13 and a better iPad, no?