Do you remember Crystal Pepsi?
How about Zima?
There are tons and tons of products, people, and random other stuff that are supposed to be “the next big thing” that just don’t quite work out.
But it’s fun to look back on them!
Folks on AskReddit talked about things that were supposed to be a huge deal but flopped.
Let’s take a look.
1. Another streaming service…
“That streaming service that lasted like two months. ‘Qubi’ or ‘Qupi’ I think?
Even bad timing aside (a mobile based streaming service at a time when no one could really leave their house) the marketing was just horrible.
I saw ads for it for nearly a week before I realized it was a new video streaming service, and by that point was so annoyed by the ads untrusting everything I didn’t care at all, just out of spite.
Also I mean it was just YouTube you have to pay for and got worse content.”
2. I wish I had one.
“Hoverboards?
I remember in a span of 3 months everyone had them and showed them off and then they just disappeared.”
3. Don’t believe the hype.
“Segways were supposed to revolutionize travel and replace the automobile.
Now they’re just used for guided tours for dorks in tourist traps.”
4. Oops.
“Airship travel.
These were the next, awesome way to travel long distances; in fact the spire on top of the Empire State Building was meant as an anchoring point for airships.
The Hindenburg kind of put a damper on it, though.”
5. Didn’t work out.
“The US version of Coupling.
It was peddled hard by NBC to be the next “Friends” when that show ended.
There were interviews with the cast and they were already musing about the show going into multiple seasons. There was big buzz since it was such a hit in the UK.
It lasted four episodes.”
6. Get smart!
“Smart diapers!
I’m pretty sure Pampers sells them but imagine it won’t be long before they’re discontinued.
It’s an idea that’s been posted on Mommy blogs, childcare forums, magazines, news articles. Every so often I’ll see a story online while doing some childcare research.
I don’t know a single parent, nanny, early childhood educator, caregiver that has or wants to use a smart diaper. The only way I could see it being useful is for night or for a special needs child.
The idea is still being pushed as a “luxury” item for millennials but it’s just nonsense. What’s even funnier is that the tech is almost backwards. Cloth diapering has become insanely popular!”
7. Paperless.
“Paperless office.
Over and over again, our managers reminded us that we are working in a paperless office environment. Never happened in my very large company.
I have not heard paperless office in years now.”
8. Movie magic.
“High Frame Rate 3D.
Peter Jackson pushed so hard for it with the first Hobbit movie, saying it was going to revolutionize the movie experience.
Instead it made the CGI look like video game quality graphics and it made everyone look like they were moving too fast to be real.”
9. Still waiting…
“Noise cancelling systems.
We have it for headphones, but it was suppose to be implemented in jets, motors, lawnmowers, and I’m still waiting…”
10. Yeah, WTF?
“The 21st century.
We were promised flying cars, service robots and the 30 hour workweek.
We got a pandemic and bad Wifi.”
11. Bad timing.
“Mini Discs.
The perfect solution to scratched CDs. Plus it held the same size as a regular CD.
Had the car version and everything.. then came MP3s.”
12. Hydrogen cars.
“Hydrogen cars were a promising new form of motorized vehicle. They were supposed to be incredibly good for the environment, emitting only water as the exhaust.
They exist, but not like how some people imagined. I was a pretty big hydrogen car believer at the time. There are some hydrogen stations, but mostly centered around California. Thing is that the hydrogen is quite expensive and not very efficient compared to smaller engines, hybrids, and EV’s. The hydrogen is also somewhat inefficient to produce, store, and distribute as well.
You can actually get a hydrogen car though, they’re out there. The Toyota Mirai is a really good example. Out of all hydrogen cars, that one is definitely most popular. In fact, Toyota pays for $15,000 worth of hydrogen in your first few years of ownership since it’s so expensive.
This means that for your first 3-ish years of owning one, you might not have to pay a penny in fuel. As you can see I’m still a hydrogen advocate. Don’t expect to be able to take it very far from your nearest hydrogen station though.”
Do you remember more “next big things” that didn’t quite work out?
Tell us about them in the comments!
Please and thank you!
