A subjective, slightly funny top five: famous flops that cost millions. If your project stumbles, take comfort, it happens to the giants too.
Five famous, expensive product/usability failures: the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (caught fire, ~$3.1B loss in six months), the Segway (overhyped, overpriced, undersold, made worse when a US president fell off the ‘totally safe’ device), the Microsoft KIN (a social-only ‘smartphone’ with no apps at flagship prices, dead in 48 days), Google X (an illogical, Apple-mimicking search redesign that lasted 24 hours), and the Macintosh TV (a 1993 TV-computer hybrid that was neither, gone in four months). The common thread: even leaders fail when product decisions ignore usability, price reality, or a clear purpose.
The five failures
| Product | What went wrong | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (2016) | A flagship phone that literally caught fire, forcing a full recall. | ~$3.1B in 6 months |
| Segway | Hyped as a mobility revolution but priced ~$5,000; a US president falling off it gutted the ‘totally safe’ promise. | ~30k sold in 7 yrs (target 100k/yr) |
| Microsoft KIN | A social-networking ‘smartphone’ with no apps or games, slow and unstable, at high-end prices. | Dead in 48 days |
| Google X | An Apple-imitating search redesign with icons and an information architecture that made no sense. | Lasted 24 hours |
| Macintosh TV (1993) | A TV-computer hybrid that was neither, at roughly $3,000 in today’s money. | Discontinued in 4 months |
Leading company, cutting-edge tech, a history of good decisions. What could fail? Usability nightmares happen to anyone.
Fabio Devin
Not all of these are pure interface failures, several are product, pricing or strategy misfires, but each shows the same lesson: technology and brand power don’t save a product that ignores real users, a sensible price, or a clear reason to exist. Testing and usability would have caught more than one of them.
Often cited: the Samsung Note 7 (fire hazard/recall), the Segway (overpriced and undersold), the Microsoft KIN (dead in 48 days), Google X (a 24-hour search redesign), and the Macintosh TV.
Samsung reported around $3.1 billion in losses over roughly six months after recalling the fire-prone phones.
It was a social-only ‘smartphone’ with no apps or games, slow and unstable, yet priced like a high-end phone. It lasted 48 days.
It was an Apple-imitating search-page redesign with illogical icons and information architecture, pulled just 24 hours after launch.
Not strictly, some are product, pricing or strategy failures, but each reinforces that even market leaders fail when they ignore users, price reality or clear purpose.
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