Famous consumer hardware flops, each fed to Kasspian with the name stripped, 4 of them, averaging 2.5/10. Below: the score, the verdict, and the assumption that killed each one.
A company raised $120 million to sell a juicer you didn't need.
Fatal flawThat customers will stay subscribed to the produce packs long enough (six to twelve months) for the business to recover the cost of the machine it gave them.
Rabbit sold a hundred thousand people a $199 AI box to run their apps, then most of them stopped using it within weeks.
Fatal flawThat a small standalone gadget can reliably drive the apps and services on your phone better than your phone can, and that enough people will carry and pay for a second device to do, less reliably, what the one already in their pocket does for free.
Amazon built a phone around a feature nobody asked for.
See what killed itHumane built a $699 device to replace the smartphone before it proved anyone wanted to put their phone down.
Fatal flawThat a meaningful number of people want a standalone, screenless AI device to replace the phone they already own and love, and will pay around $700 plus a subscription for a slower, less capable version of things their phone already does instantly.
Building in consumer hardware? Get the honest call on your idea, before it joins this list.
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