Khaberni - Tech companies always promise innovative and pioneering products that sometimes defy imagination, and while tech enthusiasts eagerly await these new products, companies sometimes fail to keep their promises and leave their fans waiting.
These dazzling technological innovations usually appear at annual conferences that showcase the latest developments by companies, and it is customary for smaller companies to promise products they cannot deliver.
However, sometimes major tech companies like "Apple" and "Google" fail to keep their promises and kill off future projects they had long teased, and here are some of the most important promises these companies failed to keep.
"Apple AirPower"
In 2017, "Apple" unveiled a revolutionary product promising a charging experience unlike anything previously offered, naming this product "AirPower."
The "AirPower" charging mat was supposed to charge products wirelessly without the need to carefully place or align items such as the smartwatch, wireless earphones, and even the phone.
However, "Apple" never released the product, and it wasn’t mentioned again until 2019 when Dan Riccio, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at the company, broke his silence and explained to "TechCrunch" that "AirPower" did not meet Apple’s high standards, hence it was canceled.
Riccio clarified in his message to the site that the product had significant overheating issues, making it unsafe for users, in addition to difficulties integrating the charging for "Apple" smartwatches into the mat.
Years later, "Apple" unveiled the "MagSafe" technology, which is perhaps closest to the "AirPower" first seen in 2017, but it still requires placing the phone and products at predefined spots.
"Google" Game Streaming Project
"Google" first unveiled the "Stadia" project in 2019, at the time a revolutionary concept in every detail.
Starting from the ability to stream games in high resolution rivaling leading desktop computers and gaming platforms, all the way to the ease of accessing and using games, all you needed to do was click a link from a "YouTube" clip to find yourself in the middle of a game.
However, problems with this project surfaced quickly, starting from the financial model which fully relied on buying the game outright, then subscribing to "Stadia" services which allow for streaming games in the highest quality and buying specific add-ons.
Approximately 4 years later, "Stadia" joined the graveyard of projects killed by "Google," and the company directly refunded all who had purchased project products or games, though subscription fees were not returned.
"Facebook" Digital Currency
In 2019, before becoming "Meta," "Facebook" decided to launch a new digital currency named "Libra," coinciding with the global rise and spread of digital currencies.
The platform promised that using this currency would be extremely easy, accessible anywhere in the world and directly on the platform, allowing users to send and receive money and sell products directly using the currency.
While users were looking forward to the launch of this new service and its unveiling around the world, major companies in the financial sector had numerous reservations about the project, chief among them were concerns about money laundering, whether by the platform or its users.
As a result, many project supporters like "PayPal," "Visa," and "Mastercard" withdrew, and later the platform changed the name of its currency to "Diem," but this was not enough to save the project.
In 2022, the digital currency underwent significant changes after the project was sold to the investment company "SilverGate," proving that no matter how ambitious and trendy a "Facebook" project may be, it is not enough to challenge global systems.
"Google" Ara Project
"Google" presented this revolutionary project in 2013, and its concept was quite simple, being a fully upgradeable and updateable phone.
The project's idea was similar to the "Framework" project, which offers upgradable laptops using parts similar to Lego pieces.
Although the concept was innovative and attracted users worldwide, it failed to materialize into a reality that could be demonstrated publicly.
"Google" failed to display an effective version of the phone at its 2014 conference, and by 2016, realizing the project became nearly impossible due to technical and logistical obstacles among various phone manufacturers, poor phone design, and size, and later that year, the project was completely canceled and abandoned.
