Flashback
38 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago -Not all tech products succeed once on the market, and some are killed off with little warning. Flashback looks back at failed tech products to see what we can learn by studying their demises. Hosted by Quinn Nelson and Stephen Hackett.
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Episodes
25: On PC Clones & The End of the Road for IBM’s Personal Computer Business
January 06, 2022 21:30 - 38 minutes - 53.8 MBIBM quickly lost control of the market it had helped create, going from industry-leader to quietly exiting the personal computer business in just a couple of decades.
24: Later IBM PC Models
December 03, 2021 02:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MBThe first IBM PC kicked off what would be a line of computers that would be sold through the 1980s. This week, Quinn and Stephen hit the high points of this beige wave.
23: IBM's Search for an Operating System
November 23, 2021 00:00 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBWith its PC built, IBM needed to find an operating system that would run on it. Its choice would change the computer industry forever.
22: Building the Personal Computer
November 04, 2021 21:45 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBThe IBM Personal Computer was developed in a shockingly short period of time. This time, Quinn and Stephen discuss the machine's hardware as well as some of the company's earlier attempts at personal computers.
21: The International Business Machines Corporation
October 21, 2021 22:30 - 45 minutes - 62.4 MBThis season on Flashback, Quinn and Stephen are covering the rise — and fall — of IBM's PC business, but first: some background on the enormous company that Apple and so many others lived in the shadow of back in the 80s.
20: Windows Vista
June 03, 2021 21:30 - 48 minutes - 66.8 MBThe story of Windows Vista is a complicated one. Born from a long and troubled development cycle, it wasn't free of problems at launch, but hardware OEMs and others didn't do much to help its reputation.
19: The Apple Lisa
May 21, 2021 16:30 - 38 minutes - 52.8 MBIn the early 1980s, Apple launched a computer with a GUI and mouse ... that wasn't the Macintosh.
18: The Google Graveyard Draft
May 06, 2021 12:45 - 1 hour - 96.3 MBGoogle has a knack for shutting down products. This episode, Stephen and Quinn talk about a handful of them.
17: The Palm Foleo
April 22, 2021 17:30 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBA phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. Are you getting it? These are not three devices. It's two devices, and we're calling them your Palm phone and Foleo.
16: ROKR: The iTunes Phone
April 08, 2021 16:30 - 52 minutes - 48.6 MBA year and a half before the iPhone was introduced, Apple took the stage to announce a very, very different product: the iTunes phone, built in partnership with Motorola and Cingular.
15: The Motorola RAZR
March 25, 2021 15:45 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBThis week, Quinn and Stephen talk about one of the world's first cool phones, and how its parent company was bent on destroying its good name.
14: OS/2
February 19, 2021 19:45 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MBIn an effort to keep Microsoft from controlling the PC software industry, in the 1980s, IBM created OS/2, an operating system meant to give its computers a competitive advantage. Unable to do this alone, Big Blue turned to an unlikely company to help build it.
13: The CrunchPad
February 02, 2021 23:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBIn 2008, a vision for a simple, browser-based tablet as born. Just a few years later, after failed lawsuits and rip-off products, no one had anything to show for their work.
12: The Amazon Fire Phone
January 19, 2021 15:15 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBThis time, Quinn and Stephen look back — in 3D! — at the Amazon Fire Phone. Between its operating system, unusual gesture system and a price that was way too high, it was dead on arrival. After that, the guys go shopping for each other, picking out some unusual products that bear Amazon's name today.
11: The Nexus Q
January 05, 2021 17:15 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MBIn 2012, Google announced a sphere-shaped media player that was meant to be used with a TV or sound system. It was a disaster. However, nearly a decade later, set-top boxes are nearly everywhere. How did the market move past a weird Google product to offer a wide range of compelling products?
11: The Nexus Q and a Sea of Set-top Boxes
January 05, 2021 17:00 - 53 minutes - 49.9 MBIn 2012, Google announced a sphere-shaped media player that was meant to be used with a TV or sound system. It was a disaster. However, nearly a decade later, set-top boxes are nearly everywhere. How did the market move past a weird Google product to offer a wide range of compelling products?
Flashback 10: Pebble
June 18, 2020 22:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThe smartwatch movement didn't start with Apple or Google, but a little company named Pebble. Through a series of hugely successful Kickstarters, the company put out several well-reviewed products before being steamrolled by the platform-makers.
10: Pebble
June 18, 2020 22:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBThe smartwatch movement didn't start with Apple or Google, but a little company named Pebble. Through a series of hugely successful Kickstarters, the company put out several well-reviewed products before being steamrolled by the platform-makers.
Flashback 9: The Apple III
June 04, 2020 22:30 - 46 minutes - 43.2 MBThe Apple II was a big hit, but before the Macintosh took over, Cupertino shipped a couple of duds, the worst of which was the ill-fated (and kinda melty) Apple III.
9: The Apple III
June 04, 2020 22:30 - 46 minutes - 43.2 MBThe Apple II was a big hit, but before the Macintosh took over, Cupertino shipped a couple of duds, the worst of which was the ill-fated (and kinda melty) Apple III.
8: The Microsoft Kin
May 21, 2020 17:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBMicrosoft was late to the smartphone party, and its first entrance, the Kin, was designed for teens and young adults who didn't want or need an iPhone, Android phone or Blackberry. The only problem? That audience didn't really exist.
Flashback 8: The Microsoft Kin
May 21, 2020 17:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBMicrosoft was late to the smartphone party, and its first entrance, the Kin, was designed for teens and young adults who didn't want or need an iPhone, Android phone or Blackberry. The only problem? That audience didn't really exist.
7: AOL Instant Messenger
May 07, 2020 15:15 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBIt is time to add Stephen and Quinn to your Buddy List.
Flashback 7: AOL Instant Messenger
May 07, 2020 15:15 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBIt is time to add Stephen and Quinn to your Buddy List.
6: The Be Computer Company
April 23, 2020 16:30 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MBStarted by former members of Apple's leadership team, Be was formed to take on the Mac and other computers of the mid-90s. The company wrote its own operating system and shipped dual-CPU towers before failing to be bought by Apple and slowly fading away.
Flashback 6: The Be Computer Company
April 23, 2020 16:30 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MBStarted by former members of Apple's leadership team, Be was formed to take on the Mac and other computers of the mid-90s. The company wrote its own operating system and shipped dual-CPU towers before failing to be bought by Apple and slowly fading away.
5: Three Failed Game Consoles
April 09, 2020 16:15 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBOn this episode, Quinn and Stephen explore three failed game consoles: the Apple Pippin, Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Ouya.
Flashback 5: Three Failed Game Consoles
April 09, 2020 16:15 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBOn this episode, Quinn and Stephen explore three failed game consoles: the Apple Pippin, Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Ouya.
Flashback 4: webOS
March 26, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 68 MBWith its webOS hardware, including the Pre, Pixi and more, Palm (and later HP) tried to take on the giants of the early smartphone wars. While webOS was hugely innovative, it wasn't enough to break into the most important market in consumer electronics history.
4: webOS
March 26, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 68 MBWith its webOS hardware, including the Pre, Pixi and more, Palm (and later HP) tried to take on the giants of the early smartphone wars. While webOS was hugely innovative, it wasn't enough to break into the most important market in consumer electronics history.
3: The GM EV1
March 12, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBElectric cars may seem like a 21st century phenomenon, but they are far from modern invention. Along the winding path to the present was the GM EV1, the first purpose-designed electric vehicle. It went on sale in 1996, but within a decade, General Motors had recalled and crushed almost all of them.
Flashback 3: The GM EV1
March 12, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBElectric cars may seem like a 21st century phenomenon, but they are far from modern invention. Along the winding path to the present was the GM EV1, the first purpose-designed electric vehicle. It went on sale in 1996, but within a decade, General Motors had recalled and crushed almost all of them.
2: The Microsoft Zune
February 27, 2020 15:30 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MBIn the 2000s, the iPod was a true juggernaut, simply dominating the portable music player market. Microsoft wanted a piece of the pie, and launched the Zune 30, which eventually spread into a line of both hardware products and software services. However, it barely made a dent in Apple's commanding lead. This episode, Quinn and Stephen look into why the folks from Seattle failed so hard at taking on the iPod.
Flashback 2: The Microsoft Zune
February 27, 2020 15:30 - 51 minutes - 47.8 MBIn the 2000s, the iPod was a true juggernaut, simply dominating the portable music player market. Microsoft wanted a piece of the pie, and launched the Zune 30, which eventually spread into a line of both hardware products and software services. However, it barely made a dent in Apple's commanding lead. This episode, Quinn and Stephen look into why the folks from Seattle failed so hard at taking on the iPod.
Flashback 1: The Newton
February 11, 2020 19:00 - 42 minutes - 39.6 MBToday, Apple is well known for its mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, but in the 1990s, the Macintosh-only company invented the Personal Digital Assistant. Its PDA was the Newton, a family of handwriting-based devices that promised mobile productivity. However, after five short years, the whole line was cancelled. This episode, Stephen and Quinn revisit the Newton and talk about what — and who — killed it.
1: The Newton
February 11, 2020 19:00 - 42 minutes - 39.6 MBToday, Apple is well known for its mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, but in the 1990s, the Macintosh-only company invented the Personal Digital Assistant. Its PDA was the Newton, a family of handwriting-based devices that promised mobile productivity. However, after five short years, the whole line was cancelled. This episode, Stephen and Quinn revisit the Newton and talk about what — and who — killed it.
Flashback 0: Introduction
February 11, 2020 13:30 - 2 minutes - 2.47 MBOn this season of Flashback, we’ll be looking at examples of failed tech products or companies.
0: Introduction
February 11, 2020 13:30 - 2 minutes - 2.47 MBOn this season of Flashback, we’ll be looking at examples of failed tech products or companies.