HP TouchPad
When HP unveiled the TouchPad earlier this year, the tablet was expected to be a groundbreaking device that would compete quite effectively against the iPad 2. But after failing to catch on with consumers, the device failed miserably.
RIM BlackBerry PlayBook
The BlackBerry PlayBook was supposed to be the tablet that would make the enterprise want to jump into the slate space. But it’s clear now that it couldn’t provide that. The device’s major shortcomings — namely its lack of e-mail or instant-messaging applications when a BlackBerry isn’t connected to it — made it a non-starter in the enterprise.
Cisco Cius
If the BlackBerry PlayBook was a failure, the Cisco Cius was a disaster. That Android-based tablet launched earlier this year and just about no one knew about it. The company is still offering the tablet, but with the iPad catching on in the corporate world, it’s clear that the Cius is well on its way to the junk bin.
Every Dell Streak Flavor
When Dell announced the Streak last year, featuring a 5-inch display, just about everyone knew that it would be a failure. Now, the company has a 7-inch option that, like its predecessor, has fallen short. Perhaps it’s time Dell gets out of the tablet business.
Motorola Xoom
Motorola’s Xoom tablet was another device that people had high hopes for, only to find out that the tablet couldn’t live up to the hype. The Xoom shipped with poor software, was too expensive, and came out around the same time as the iPad. It was a failure from the beginning.
Leo Apotheker
When HP appointed Leo Apotheker as CEO last year, some were surprised by the move, given his history in software and solutions. Now a little over a year later and a couple months after Apotheker was fired, it’s clear that all those critics were right — he had no business running HP.
Yahoo
Yahoo has been on the decline for years now. But when the company decided to fire CEO Carol Bartz, it quickly became clear there was more trouble afoot at Yahoo than the company wanted to admit. Now, there’s turmoil at the board level, shareholders are in revolt, and just about everyone is lining up to acquire the online firm. Yahoo’s best days are behind it.
Windows Phone 7
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform is supposed to be the way in which the software giant gets back to the top of the mobile space. But now, it’s clear that it won’t do anything of the sort. Windows Phone 7’s market share is still far down and even with Nokia devices in tow, there’s no easy solution to fixing it. Sorry, but Windows Phone 7 is a top turkey of 2011.
RIM
RIM has endured an exceedingly difficult year. From getting hit hard for BlackBerry service outages to watching its mobile market share decline by the day, RIM has proven once and for all that it has no way to turn things around in the smartphone space, and so far, it doesn’t really care. It’s too bad.
Nokia
If there is any company that has watched its market share quickly decline this year, it’s Nokia. The handset maker has decided to ditch Symbian and opt for Windows Phone 7, but will it be enough? Probably not. Nokia is lost.