Wednesday, 28 December 2016 07:13

The Top Tech Disasters of 2016

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Technology is truly wonderful, and it keeps evolving at a very fast pace. However, not every technology is fated to be successful. Some technologies which are overhyped during its launch simply fizzle out, while others seem to be growing popular initially but later they flame out. 
Since 2016 is almost over, let’s take a look at the top tech disasters of this year. 
 
Samsung Note 7 fiasco
Samsung Note 7 fiascoWhat was launched as a competitor against Apple iPhone 7, turned out to be the biggest tech disaster for Samsung. As soon as it was launched, Samsung Note 7 received several positive reviews for its water resistant design and wireless charging.

However, it was only a week later that several users started experiencing overheating problems. Some Note 7 smartphones actually exploded. Samsung has stopped the production of Note 7 and recalled all the devices from the market. Samsung has lost somewhere around $10 billion because of this tech disaster!

Smartwatch sale tumble
There was a time when each and every tech giant was making smartwatches. The prospects for smartwatches don’t look too great because almost no one seems to be buying them.
Even though Apple Watch is the most popular choice, the number of smartwatches shipped this year is way lower, when compared to the last. 
 
Yahoo data breach
Yahoo data breach
One of the wrost data breach cases of the year where over 500 million user accounts were hacked, it took years before Yahoo! could alert its users of the breach.
(Image Credits: Indiatimes)

Apple Charging Ports are complex
Apple Charging Ports are complexApple recently launched iPhone 7 without the typical headphone jack. You will now need to use headphones with type-C USB ports to listen to music on the latest iPhone. Apple didn’t just stop there, they also launched new Mac laptops with only USB Type-C ports. Suddenly, you could no longer connect your iPhone or charge it using Mac.
You can use dongle adapters to connect your laptop to your iPhone, however, it is a roundabout way to do something that was so simple before.
 

The biggest polls failure ever

The biggest polls failure ever
 
Probably the biggest tech disaster of 2016 was the online polls that predicted Hillary Clinton to be the next President of the United States. These online polls assured that Clinton was going to beat Trump in the 2016 elections. But boy, wasn’t that an epic fail? Donald Trump won the Presidential elections and that too by a large margin!
(Image Credits: Thinkstock)

The hoaxes, fake news & misinformation

The hoaxes, fake news & misinformation
 
A day after US President Barack Obama criticised Facebook for spreading fake news that favored Donald Trump, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced new steps to counter fake news on the platform. Buzzfeed found that top-performing fake stories performed better on Facebook than accurate stories shared by traditional media sites during the US presidential election campaign.

Technology is for good, but you never know when it blows in your face. As Neil Postman, an American author, aptly said, “The effects of technology are always unpredictable. But they are not always inevitable”.
Author : Ashwini Gaikwad

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