Launched 1981 and bankrupt in 1983, Osborne Computer was a pioneering maker of portable computers and struggled under heavy competition. Kaypro Computer had larger screens, Apple Computer had a large software library, and IBM’s PC was faster, more advanced, and offered a rapidly growing software library.
Introduced in 2014, social robot company Jibo burned through $73 million in funding. It’s downfall started in 2015 when Amazon unveiled Echo and priced it seventy-five percent less than Jibo.
Released in 1987, OS/2 seriously suffered from lack of device support, especially printer and display drivers. The Joint Development Agreement signed between IBM and Microsoft could not prevent the rift between the two companies from growing. The disagreements between IBM and Microsoft led to a situation where each thought it would be better off without the other and the famous divorce ensued. After the divorce, Microsoft almost immediately started pretending that OS/2 never existed, even though the OS/2 subsystem existed in Windows NT until version 5.0 in 1999.
On October 19 in 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.6% losing $500 billion.
In 2004, Merck withdrew it’s painkiller Vioxx from the market. Vioxx caused thousands of avoidable premature deaths and over 100,000 heart attacks.
Shut down in 2001 after having raised $250 million, Kozmo was an online retailer that provided quick delivery of goods. Due to Kozmo’s $0 delivery fee and no minimum purchase requirement, it was difficult to build an efficient and profitable business.
In 1989, Pepsi A.M. was introduced to the breakfast market. It was a soda designed to provide a caffeine boost to consumers who preferred a carbonated drink over coffee or tea in the morning. The product was marketed with the tagline “The All-Night Cola,” suggesting it was perfect for those who had stayed up late and needed a pick-me-up in the morning. The initial reception of the product was not positive, and it failed to generate much interest among consumers.
In 1993, Crystal Pepsi failed after not having a clear target audience. PepsiCo’s marketing strategy was aimed at capturing the attention of consumers who preferred a healthier alternative to traditional soda, but the ‘clear’ appearance of the drink did not necessarily indicate that the drink was a ‘healthier’ option. The drink often turned brown due to sunlight.
The Juicero Press, a Wi-Fi-enabled kitchen appliance that squeezed juice out of pre-packaged pouches, finally hit the market in 2016 after three years of development and nearly $120M of capital raised. Only a year later, Bloomberg released an article that showed that you could simply squeeze the juice out of the pouches using your bare hands. Not only that, but the juice would come out much faster than when using a machine and would basically yield the same amount.
In 2023, Prince Vacation released these candles so “you don’t need to belong to a country club to douse your senses with the smell of fresh tennis balls and tropical sunscreen…a relaxing blend of cucumber and freshly popped tennis balls places you right in July, regardless of the time of year.”
