3 pieces of technology that didn’t reach their potential

Sometimes, fantastic ideas and products just don’t take off or people are not aware of them. Usually, there are a variety of reasons for this; perhaps there was a lack of awareness around said product, or maybe people didn’t realise how beneficial it could be in their daily life. This also applies to technology, despite how fast we all consume innovative technology at the minute.



Over the last few years, there have been many pieces of technology that should have been way more popular than they ever were. Some businesses have even completely lost their place in the market because of one piece of technology that didn’t work out.

Here are three examples of technology that people missed, forgot, or rapidly moved on from.

Windows Phone
Microsoft are a computer powerhouse; the majority of computers, laptops and a variety of other devices all run Microsoft Windows as an operating system. Just because Microsoft are good at computers doesn’t mean they can break into the smartphone market, however, as they Windows Phone venture well and truly demonstrated.

Windows Phones weren’t actually bad phones; they were usable and had everything that you get from windows on a much smaller device than anything else. The prospect of having Windows on a mobile phone is seemingly brilliant, but these devices just didn’t have the necessary lure to pull users away from Android and IOS.

Despite the promise of Windows on an ultra-portable device, a lack of features and virtually no developed apps meant that Microsoft had no chance of dominating the mobile market, which is likely the reason that they’ve given up on their mobile venture – for now; support for the Windows phone has now completely disappeared, with an executive stating that the phone is no longer going to be a focus for Microsoft.

Google Glass
Suffice to say, Google are one of the biggest businesses in the world; that’s why it’s a surprise when one of their products dramatically falls below expectations. Anticipation surrounded Google Glass after Google had announced it. Google glass caused a bit of a stir, although it was seen as a step forward for technology.

From the beginning, Google Glass seemed like a great idea, but the futuristic glasses didn’t end up living up to the hype for numerous reasons. Despite heavy promotion from Google, Google have now shelved the product. Where did it go wrong?

Despite the brilliant idea, there was so much wrong with the odd glasses that it’s no wonder the idea didn’t end up going anywhere. Firstly, despite the futuristic appearance of the glasses, they were just pure unattractive. Secondly, how safe is it to have your head constantly in contact with something that’s constantly emitting carcinogenic radiation? Also, maybe if the device was actually cheaper more would have embraced it despite the glaring issues; a $1500 certainly didn’t encourage everyday people to purchase the glasses.

Compatible SFPs
A bit different from the heights of products designed by Google and Microsoft, compatible SFPs aren’t products that were promoted at the same level as either the Windows Phone or Google Glass. However, the shocking ignorance around compatibles warranted a mention on this list.

Compatible SFPs are the same as ‘standard’ vendor-supplied SFPs. The only difference is that compatibles aren’t branded; they perform the same function for an awful lot cheaper.

Compatible SFPs are sometimes hundreds of pounds cheaper than branded SFP, so your business can make a big saving when buying this popular product.

For some reason, compatible devices haven’t been as popular as you might first think. Despite being the same as any SFP that you can purchase from a vendor, the vast difference in price tag is something that puts a lot of people off; they often wonder why compatible devices are so much cheaper than their branded counterparts, simply presuming that one must be better than the other.