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5 Great Products That Failed in the Market

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Matthew Ramos Business Opportunities 1
III – Entrepreneurship Ms. MJ Ganaden

5 great products that failed in the market

Sony Betamax
The Betamax video recorder hit stores in 1975. A year later, Sony's rival released another video recorder -- the VHS. By early 1977, four other companies were selling VHS machines. Meanwhile, Sony chose not to license Betamax technology. Because the two formats were incompatible, consumers had to choose between the two. As Sony was the lone Betamax producer, you can guess which system they chose.

McDonald's Arch Deluxe
In an effort to class up the McDonald's brand, the company created the Arch Deluxe, a product marketed towards adults with more sophisticated palates. Just one problem -- people don't go to McDonald's for sophistication. McDonald's customers know what they want, and what they want is a classic and convenient burger. Needless to say, when the Arch Deluxe debuted in 1996, consumers weren't lovin' it.

Bic Underwear
Bic has built its brand on the convenience of disposable products. Disposable razors? Disposable lighters? Convenient and affordable. Disposable underwear? Just plain weird. Other than the disposability factor, consumers could not find a link between the underwear and Bic's other products. With out a unifying factor, people were just confused. In addition, the idea of buying intimate attire from a company that also produces pens apparently does not appeal to most women.

Apple Newton
Arguably ahead of its time, Apple debuted this PDA device in 1993. Computerworld says it flopped partially because of its high price ($700 or more), bulkiness and the ridicule it received from talk show comedians and comic strips like 'Doonesbury' which focused on the supposed inaccuracy of the handwriting recognition.

The Newton faded away in 1998, but chartered the course for the Palm Pilot

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