5 Gadgets That Were Supposed to Change the World but Flopped Horribly

2. Apple/Bandai Pippin

Hey, remember the time when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) ventured into gaming? I bet you don’t, but in 1995, when Apple was Steve Jobs-less and lagging behind Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the PC wars, it tied up with Japanese toy and video game maker Bandai to create the Apple Bandai Pippin, the first and only console it developed. Apple created the software, specifically the Macintosh-based Pippin platform, and Bandai manufactured the hardware. Although the Pippin was supposed to be an inexpensive multimedia console with a boomerang-shaped controller that included a trackball, it sold for $599 upon launch in 1996, more than twice the price of the more-powerful consoles it competed against, including Sony’s PlayStation 1. The Pippin sold only 42,000 units before bowing out in 1997. Fast forward two decades and Apple’s role in the multi-billion dollar gaming industry right now is little more than being a vendor for the Candy Crush game you don’t admit playing. And now, let’s see the number one on our list of gadgets that were supposed to change the world but flopped horribly.

Gadgets That Were Supposed to Change the World but Flopped Horribly

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