Friday, May 26, 2006

newsFlash: Best and Worst Tech Products

I don't usually like to just point people to other articles in my blog posts, but PC World has recently followed up its list of "50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years" with a "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time" list, both of which are fun reads.

Topping out the list of best products are the Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979) and the Apple iPod (2001) - interesting that the two best tech products are both music-oriented. A look further down the list brings back fond memories of #7 - Atari Video Computer System (1977), #27 - Commodore 64 (1982), and some other hits from my childhood.

For worst products, we start out with America Online (1989-2006) and RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999) in the top two positions (no argument there). A couple of entries from Microsoft, Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000) and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001) appear at #4 and #8 respectively. And just to show you that I am not just a rabid Apple fanboy, I have to point out that Apple does have a couple of entries here too: Apple's 16-pound Macintosh "Portable" (1989) at #17 and- did you know that before Xbox, PlayStation, or DreamCast, Apple had an internet-capable game console that connected to your TV? It did and it was crappy - #22, the Apple Pippin @World (1996).

What do you think the best and worst tech products are? Write a comment to let me and other readers know your picks (especially if they aren't already on PC World's list)!
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5/26/2006 11:19:00 p.m.  

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any XPress release post version 4.
By now, who cares if 7 is good?
InDesign baby!

And the puck mouse should have been to 15 easy!!!
It was terrible - which way up???

Best… I'd have to say the iPod or the the first Powerbooks when you consider their impact on the world from their intro going forward.

May 29, 2006 5:41 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I left a comment and it doesn't show… Says 0 comments. Then when I go to post this comment, there is mine, right over there
<--

So add Blogger to my worst list ;)

May 30, 2006 9:45 p.m.  
Blogger Jeff MacArthur said...

Looks like the comments somehow worked themselves out, John :-) .

Oh, and I'm with you on the puck mouse too - classic case of form over funtion.

Jeff

May 31, 2006 9:38 a.m.  

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