2019 Delivers Disappointing Tech Despite Massive Industry Hype
The year's most hyped innovations, like foldable phones and 5G, largely result in expensive failures and frustrations. These missteps offer valuable lessons for tech companies moving forward.
The year 2019 brings massive hype around cutting-edge technology like foldable phones and 5G networks, but these first-generation efforts ultimately result in buckets of disappointment. Instead of delivering functional new gadgets that change the industry, companies release products that fail to live up to their immense promises.
Among the biggest failures is the $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold, which reviewers easily break during initial testing and becomes a major PR disaster. Even after Samsung redesigns the device with a sturdier hinge and better screen protection, the underlying fragility remains, as pixels mysteriously die on the flexible display during extended use.
Beyond hardware flops, the list of bad tech includes objectively terrible decisions like launching a gorgeous Android phone without Google services, essentially creating an expensive brick. While these mistakes are frustrating for consumers, they serve as a necessary learning process that gives companies an opportunity to course correct in the future.