Apple Newton
1993-1998
Sleek design and a touchscreen with handwriting recognition made the Newton an exciting innovation. However, it was launched far too early and its incomplete technology, like the frustratingly slow and inaccurate handwriting recognition, quickly killed the hype. The Newton became synonymous with failure, and was mocked by comedians and on The Simpsons.
Steve Jobs shut down the Newton project when he returned to Apple in 1997. He said, “My gut was that there was some really good technology, but it was f***ed up by mismanagement. By shutting it down, I freed up some good engineers who could work on new mobile devices. And eventually we got it right when we moved on to iPhones and the iPad.”
Additional info:
Wired.com - Remembering the Apple Newton’s Prophetic Failure and Lasting Impact
Fool.com - Why the First Tablet Failed
Mashable - Happy 25th birthday, Apple Newton, you beautiful failure