Yesterday we covered the winners - today, the losers. From Palm Pre to AT&T, these are the ones who've fallen short
By Gabe Perna
Yesterday, we covered the winners of technology. Today, the losers. These are the companies that for some reason or another have fallen short of expectations. Whether its financial troubles or simply a poor product or service, these companies/devices represent the agony of defeat.
(For more stories like this, check out this month's issue of Exec Digital)
Sony: Sony is entrenched in third place behind Nintendo and Microsoft in the gaming console market. However, that’s not only the place where Sony has fallen behind. In the ever growing e-reader market, the Amazon Kindle has continuously outsold its main competitor the Sony eReader.
Palm Pre:The Palm Pre is a great smartphone, just as capable as the iPhone 3GS. Yet, with the rapidly declining Sprint as its carrier in the US, the Pre didn’t reach the one million sold mark in its first three months of existence. It just debuted in the UK and it’s unknown how it’ll do there.
AOL: Ten years is an eternity in the world of technology. For proof, see AOL. When it merged with Time Warner in 2000, it was valued at $161 billion. Today? With Time Warner spinning it off, JP Morgan and Pali estimates the once-proud giant is worth a mere $4 billion.
Zune HD:On the topic of Microsoft, the Zune HD is another loser in the tech race. It’s a clear number two in the mp3 department behind the iPod Touch. However, with a promising holiday season ahead, that could all change.
Vodafone and O2: The British operators were left in the dust when Amazon launched the Kindle on the 19th of this month. Instead of working with the British based companies, Amazon continued its work with AT&T in the international expansion because the US company has the reach for Amazon’s global initiative.
AT&T: AT&T has been both a winner and a loser recently. The exclusivity deal with the Kindle and the iPhone are huge. However, the people have spoken are not fans of the carrier. Users may love the iPhone, but AT&T isn’t as revered. In the same CFI survey, AT&T scored the lowest of the four major US carriers.
Edited by Sarah Wolfe