Major tech letdowns of 2016: Projects, products that failed to meet aspirations

A slew of startling technological advancements struck our world this year- Think of Elon Musk's Mars Mission, autonomous cars, or LG's 18-inch paper-thin OLED display which can be rolled up like a newspaper. But the world of technology had its own share of ups and downs also.

We have seen some of the worst technology failures which will definitely go down in the history books. Then there were some great bubble of expectations around some products and project which also got burst badly.

Here is our list of the major tech letdowns of 2016, in spite of all the hype and hoopla created around them:

Samsung Galaxy Note 7:

Undoubtedly, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is the leading tech failure of 2016. The South-Korean Company created hysteria across the globe with its latest offering.

Launched in August 2016, the smartphone was touted to be the one, "revolutionizing lives". Unfortunately, the phone's exploding phase started sooner than expected. Even replacements were not able to control the heat inside, resulting in an explosion while charging.

With the ever-increasing complaints, the company had to recall the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, cancel all the orders; resulting in 6,457 crore loss to the company.

However, the company is yet to give up. Samsung is planning to launch S8 in 2017 and we hope the product will be a success, unlike its forerunner.

GoPro Karma Drone:

Following the same fate as Samsung Galaxy Note 7, GoPro Karma Drone was recalled within two weeks of its initial release.

The company approximately sold 2,500 Karma units sold since October 23rd. However, soon these units started losing power during operation. CEO Nick Woodman in a statement said, “We are very sorry to have inconvenienced our customers and we are taking every step to make the return and refund process as easy as possible.”

According to the Verge report, "...the front-heavy design led to a sudden power failure in Karma Drones."

The Company is yet to make any comments on its next model. As Karma Drone was GoPro's first attempt in drone segment, we hope the company will learn the lesson and come back in 2017.

Apple iPhone 7:

The iPhone 7 launch was definitely big, but smartphone's 'poor' battery life, predictable design and lack of headphone jack were disappointing. Perhaps that's the reason, why iPhone 7 and 7 plus are on this list.

Data by analytics firm Localytics showed that demand for the new smartphone was not as great as it was for the iPhone 6. In the first two weeks, iPhone 7 was holding 2.7 percent of the total iPhone market share, while the iPhone 7 Plus was given only 0.9 percent of the market share.

Like Samsung, iPhone is also preparing its iPhone 8. Read here for more details.

Apple MacBook Pro's Jack:

Along with iPhone 7, Apple also launched Apple's Lightning earpods, specifically for the iPhone 7, and they cost $159. Later the Cupertino company decided to update its MacBook line after four years and frankly they did major changes. The magical Touch Bar is enough to lure customers to buy the Macbook Pro.

However, the company decided to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack. That means you'll be able to plug in any pair of headphones - except for Apple's Lightning earpods.

Not only all the customers are annoyed with this change but now the company itself is in an awkward position of supporting two audio input standards, one of which is tied to its own proprietary technology.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket burst:

Mark Zuckerberg knows how to run Facebook with new features and innovations and also accept failures along the way. However, this time, the team was not ready for such a loss, to be specific the loss costs anywhere from $95 million to $200 million.

Facebook’s attempt to provide internet access in Africa suffered a significant setback when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s first internet satellite blew up during launch preparations. The satellite was part of Facebook’s Internet.org initiative for global internet access.

Facebook CEO expressed his frustration on his Facebook profile. “I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent,” he wrote.

Google Pixel:

Discontinuing its Nexus line was surprising for many; however, Pixel's arrival was looked upon with anticipation. The anticipation of an amazing smartphone at a reasonable price. The smartphone is amazing, only that it costs 67,000 for the starting model. Pixel phones are priced just like the iPhones or a top-end Samsung Galaxy phones.

According to an IHS report, Google is also targeting investors with the Pixel phone by aiming for margins that are similar to the Apple's iPhone business. According to the report, "the Pixel XL smartphone costs a total of $285.75 to make, with $278 as direct material costs and $7.75 as conversion costs. The phone has been priced at $769, which means Google's margin on each Pixel XL phone is about $483.23."

The expectations from Google Pixel were that of a new Nexus and with this high end version of the phone that costs a bomb, we are surely disappointed to the core.