5 Failed Apple Products That You Haven’t Heard Of

We know that Apple is one of the tech companies that is really at the forefront of a lot of technological developments. They have given us the iPod, iPhone, iPad, better quality headphones, and have pretty much changed our lives for the better – regardless of what your aunt says at Thanksgiving.

However, not all of their ideas have been the greatest ones. In fact, some of them have been duds. Some of them have been so bad that they have been forgotten by history. Some of them because they just weren’t successful and other because they really weren’t all that good.

Here are 5 of the infamous failed Apple products that you probably haven’t heard of:

Pippin

If the name Pippin triggers something in your memory, it might be because there is a Broadway musical with the same title that had some of the most iconic choreography of all time.

You know something isn’t great when the Broadway musical of the same name is probably more famous.

Pippin was a collaborative project with Bandai to create the next big video gaming system. They were set to compete against Sega, Nintendo, and even Sony. However, with a $600 price tag (which in 1996 was quite hefty), only a 14.4 kb/s modem, and no support from major game developers, the unit failed to really go anywhere. They only sold 12,000 systems.

Today, they are having more success with iPhone apps and games.

Apple Newton

Before Siri, before the first generation iPhone, and even before the Palm Pilot, there was a personal digital assistant that tried to break through.

With a creative name and forward thinking, Apple Newton was a pretty cool piece of technology that was just ahead of its time. For the world in 1993, the Newton was too expensive, too clunky, and just too much for people who were still clinging to rotary phones.

But if you look closely, you can still see some of the design choices and features that were used in later products.

The Round Mouse

For two years, people who ordered a Mac computer were sent what some people like to call the “hockey puck mouse.” The thought was that the circular format would make it more comfortable for people to hold and click all day long.

Instead, it was too small and hard to grasp. It was also just different from what people expected, and you know how people fear the unknown. It was, however, Apple’s first USB mouse, which was a turning point for them as well.

Even today Apple uses rounded corners instead of right angles, which is great in some ways, but is a total fail in other ways. They eventually went back to making the more conventional mouse.

iTunes Ping

Now, iTunes was obviously one of the best things that Apple ever did. They completely changed the way we buy music. However, the prototype isn’t something they really wanted to celebrate. iTunes Ping was a social network that was released in 2010, when almost all social media sites started to take off.

iTunes Ping was stunted from the start.

The idea was that music lovers would cling to Ping and share their music recommendations. While there weren’t all that many users to start, the service did hold on until 2012, but then it shut the whole thing down.

Power Mac G4 Cube

Lasting for less than a year on shelves, this square-shape computer was timed to be released with the year 2000. It was supposed to go along with the futuristic feel of the world. However, it was expensive and didn’t even include a monitor.

Customers weren’t impressed with the square shape either. The regular Power Mac G4 did catch on since it was easier to use and cheaper.

All in all, these failed Apple products might be things you’ve never heard of or never really had a need for, but they all served a purpose. The engineers at Apple were working on products and developing their skills so that one day they could make what we use today.