Tech In 2017: This Year's Biggest Product Fails, Scandals And Breaches

This year brought many tech innovations and products, like the iPhone X, virtual reality headsets and augmented reality on apps. However, the tech industry also saw failures this year.

Like all businesses, not all products or ideas succeed. The tech industry saw some of its gadgets fail to take off. Besides product failures, the sector was also plagued by scandals and congressional testimonies.

Here are the tech industry’s 2017’s top product flops and scandals:

Amazon Key

In late October, Amazon announced a new delivery method for Prime members which allows drivers to set packages inside customers’ home. The delivery system works with the Amazon Key In-Home Kit that is set up for $249.99. With the kit, users can select the “in home” option on the app and get their items delivered inside their homes. Prime members can receive alerts and can see the delivery happen in real-time through the app.

While the service was pitched to people who are too busy to shop, the delivery method was criticized on social media.

Moreover, a national poll conducted a few days after Amazon announced the service found 68 percent of Americans said they are not comfortable letting delivery drivers have access to their homes, while 53 percent said the idea made them “very uncomfortable.” Amazon wasn’t the only company criticized for the delivery method. Amazon rival Walmart announced a similar service in September and also freaked out customers.

HomePod Delay

Apple revealed its widely-rumored “Siri speaker,” officially called the HomePod, at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The company said the device would be available in December, but last month Apple said it was pushing back the release date. The Cupertino giant said the HomePod will start shipping in the US, UK and Australia early next year, missing out on the current holiday shopping season.

The 6.8-inch tall HomePod powered by Siri includes a high‑excursion woofer, seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier and a six-microphone array. The gadget will cost consumers $349, more than Amazon’s most expensive Echo device, the $229 Echo Show.

Google Pixel Buds

In October, Google announced the Pixel Buds, a competitor to Apple’s AirPods. The earphones can translate languages in real time and pair up to the new Pixel 2 smartphones. The $159 headphones did not do as well as expected, racking up bad reviews.

Essential Phone

Android founder Andy Rubin launched the Essential smartphone earlier this year for $699. However, the device was criticized for having a mediocre camera performance. Despite having a big name behind the device, the Essential failed to take off and the price was cut down to $499.

Uber Scandals

Uber started off the year and continued 2017 riddled with scandals. The ride-sharing company was criticized early 2017 over its actions after President Donald Trump introduced the travel ban. People went on social media using the hashtag #deleteUber to denounce the startup. Shortly afterwards, an internal probe led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was launched after allegations of sexual harassment within the company surfaced. Uber was also affected by its legal battle with Waymo. The Alphabet unit claimed Uber benefited from self-driving car technology stolen from Waymo. Those scandals and other issues within the company led to the departure of its co-founder Travis Kalanick.

Facebook, Twitter And Russia Testify

In October, Facebook, Twitter and Google publicly testified before Congress for two days on Russia’s interference during the 2016 presidential election. The companies also went on the Hill to talk about steps to combat extremist content and fake news and ads from the Kremlin on their platforms.

Facebook told Congress in September it found $100,000 in ad spending from June 2015 to May 2017, which traced back to 3,000 ads that were created and pushed by Kremlin-linked trolls. The ads are believed to have reached as many as 126 million people in the United States. Meanwhile, Twitter said before testifying it discovered 22 accounts believed to be linked to Russian trolls. Those accounts led Twitter to other 179 related or linked accounts. Google said it found Russia-backed ads on YouTube, Gmail and Google Search. Google reportedly found 18 YouTube channels that were linked to Russian propaganda campaigns.

Equifax Hack

Credit reporting firm Equifax revealed that a massive data breach this year exposed personal information of more than 145 million U.S. consumers. The incident led to the resignation of Equifax chairman and CEO Richard Smith.