25 Worst Tech Products of All Time

[editor]

PCWorld.com have compiled a list of their Worst Tech Products of All Time

1. America Online (1989-2006)
2. RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999)
3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)
4. Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000)
5. Sony BMG Music CDs (2005)
6. Disney The Lion King CD-ROM (1994)
7. Microsoft Bob (1995)
8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001)
9. Pressplay and Musicnet (2002)
10. dBASE IV (1988)
11. Priceline Groceries and Gas (2000)
12. PointCast (1996)
13. IBM PCjr. (1984)
14. Gateway 2000 10th Anniversary PC (1995)
15. Iomega Zip Drive (1998)
16. Comet Cursor (1997)
17. Apple Macintosh Portable (1989)
18. IBM Deskstar 75GXP (2000)
19. OQO Model 1 (2004)
20. CueCat (2000)
21. Eyetop Wearable DVD Player (2004)
22. Apple Pippin @World (1996)
23. Free PCs (1999)
24. DigiScents iSmell (2001)
25. Sharp RD3D Notebook (2004)

Anyone buy any of the above? I had an Iomega Zip Drive but was lucky enough to avoid the 'click of death.'

Check out the full article here:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,125772,pg,1,00.asp

 

[dlx1]

was going to say, Iomega Zip Drive I got one of them with 15 dosk just tryed to sell on ebay . No takers

 

[lobster]

8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001) bis part of windows xp , how can that count?
i have Iomega Zip Drive

I don't think 23,cam to europe, not that i remeber,

23. Free PCs (1999)

In the late 90s, companies competed to dangle free PCs in front of you: All you had to do was sign up, and a PC would eventually show up at your door. But one way or another. there was always a catch: You had to sign up for a long-term ISP agreement, or tolerate an endless procession of Web ads, or surrender reams of personal information. Free-PC.com may have been the creepiest of them all. First you filled out an extensive questionnaire on your income, interests, racial and marital status, and more. Then you had to spend at least 10 hours a week on the PC and at least 1 hour surfing the Web using Free-PC's ISP.

In return you got a low-end Compaq Presario with roughly a third of the screen covered in ads. And while you watched the PC (and the ads), Free-PC watched you--recording where you surfed, what software you used, and who knows what else.

We can't say whether this would have led to some Big Brotherish nightmare, because within a year Free-PC.com merged with eMachines. By then, other vendors had similarly concluded that "free" computers just didn't pay.

 

[lostexpectation]

defo the zip drive, so promising at the time, but but then becomes so frustrating

and aol yes too

 

[magneze]

Where's QuickTime? Absolutely one of the worse pieces of software. I'd prefer to have a virus.

 

[Wintermute]

I had an IBM "Deathstar". It died

 

[jæd]

defo the zip drive, so promising at the time, but but then becomes so frustrating

I always found them quite handy, until hard disk drives/recordable dvds came down in price and broadband connections were available.

Where's QuickTime? Absolutely one of the worse pieces of software. I'd prefer to have a virus.

I'm always confused about the hate people have for QuickTime... If you don't like it then use something else...

 

[jæd]

PCWorld.com have compiled a list of their Worst Tech Products of All Time

PCWorld doing a "Worst Tech Products of All Time". Whats that phrase about pots and kettles...?

 

[editor]

Where's QuickTime? Absolutely one of the worse pieces of software.

That piece of shit would definitely make my Top 25, easy!

 

[mauvais]

I had a Deathstar too - but possibly one outside the specific range. It died. I also had Windows ME, which I paid for. Won't make that mistake again

 

[magneze]

I'm always confused about the hate people have for QuickTime... If you don't like it then use something else...

Sometimes it's used as a browser plugin on a website you want to access. You install it, selecting minimal options and make sure you don't associate it with any file formats ... and it fucking ignores them!

 

[oicur0t]

I've just had to install quicktime to look at some DS movies. I've quickly uninstalled it again. And you have to download fucking iTunes as well

 

[magneze]

I think you may find that your file associates are fucked. Quicktime seems to helpfully do that when it's uninstalled. It's as if it says "well, if I'M not going to play stuff then NO-ONE else can, so neeer... " ...

 

[editor]

I've just had to install quicktime to look at some DS movies. I've quickly uninstalled it again. And you have to download fucking iTunes as well

That's an added bonus just in case you weren't already pissed off enough.

Best of all, the cunts at Apple slap the "iTunes helper" app into your PC's start up sequence whether you want it or not - and without asking!

 

[ChrisFilter]

PCWorld doing a "Worst Tech Products of All Time". Whats that phrase about pots and kettles...?

The magazine, not the shop.

 

[obanite]

That's an added bonus just in case you weren't already pissed off enough.

Best of all, the cunts at Apple slap the "iTunes helper" app into your PC's start up sequence whether you want it or not - and without asking!

OMFG

iTunesHelper.exe - 656K
iPodService.exe - 960K

I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING IPOD!! JESUS CHRIST!!

Thanks for pointing that out though, now I can uninstall it with extreme prejudice. Fucking twats.

 

[hiccup]

My work PC was an ME machine until a couple of months ago. Must have wasted an hour a day restarting the fucking thing.

 

[toggle]

Still use my zip drive. main problem I've had is that the internal has compatability issues. I cannot have an internal 250 installed at the same time as my dvd drive. (if anyone wants to explain this one to me, I'd love a to know) So I've gone back to the parallel 100 that i found in a skip many years ago. usefull for large numbers of small files that i want to search through often. To be specific, my e-book library

Won't use quicktme. Tried it once, uninstalled it after 15 mins. I've got something that claims to be set up as an alternative to view quicktime files. haven't needed to use it yet though. erm, irfanview, with a plugin. recomendation from a mate.

won't use real player, real alternative does that job without the added shit.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I'd add pretty much any bit of software written by Sony to that list....

 

[pogofish]

Where's QuickTime? Absolutely one of the worse pieces of software. I'd prefer to have a virus.

Indeed. I often wondered if they were one & the same thing.

I'm always confused about the hate people have for QuickTime... If you don't like it then use something else...

If it didn't conflict with just about everything & uninstalled cleanly, it may have been better accepted - never mind its going straight to the website & trying to reinstall itself whenever any graphic or video file was played. I spent months struggling with elements left active in the system - to the point where a reformat was the only way to fully rid myself of it.

 

[pogofish]

OMFG

Thanks for pointing that out though, now I can uninstall it with extreme prejudice. Fucking twats.

More to the point, I've just checked & the fucking thing is back on my system again! There is no way on earth I would voluntarilly install it so what did it sneak-in alongside?

 

[gnoriac]

3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)

Wtf's that? Never even heard of it but it's gotta be exceptional to beat windows ME.

 

[Sunray]

It was a piece of software that claimed to give you more ram using compression techniques. This was when 4Mb would cost you 100 quid.

It cost you but it did fuck all apart from slow your pc down.

Thats a shit list.

Number one and never to be beaten for a generation or two is the VCR

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

ahhh windows ME the unholy dark ruler of all OS

 

[jæd]

It was a piece of software that claimed to give you more ram using compression techniques. This was when 4Mb would cost you 100 quid.

It cost you but it did fuck all apart from slow your pc down.

A bit like RamDoubler for Classic Macs. But it sounds like Quicktime. Shite on PCs, great on Macs...

 

[chemn]

Sony NetMD and the software to go with it

 

[cybertect]

Anyone buy any of the above? I had an Iomega Zip Drive but was lucky enough to avoid the 'click of death.'

Ditto. Though I did encounter a client's Iomega Jaz drive that suffered the same problem.

 

[cybertect]

Did anyone buy an Apple Pippin?

 

[EastEnder]

Best of all, the cunts at Apple slap the "iTunes helper" app into your PC's start up sequence whether you want it or not - and without asking!

I really think there should be strict rules banning that type of behaviour.

I had to install Quicktime at work because we get sent media files from clients in QT format. End result: Satan's bastard lovechild, iTunes and the grossly erroneously named 'iTunes helper'...

I do not own a sodding iPod. I will never own a sodding iPod. And I most certainly will never line the already bulging pockets of Mr Jobs by using his crappy "buy music that'll only ever play on a sodding iPod" service.

 

[Loki]

hehe @ Shippou

From my own experience
ZX81 16K wobbly RAM pack
MS-DOS
Microsoft Office (actually just about all Microsoft s/w)
QL tape drive
'Push technology' eg. PointCast
Thin client (the ones predicted to supersede the desktop PC)
WAP

... I'm sure I'll think of more!