Flashback

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Not all tech products succeed once on the market, and some are killed off with little warning. Flashback looks back at failed tech products to see what we can learn by studying their demises. Hosted by Stephen Hackett and Quinn Nelson.

Relay FM


    • Jan 6, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 49m AVG DURATION
    • 231 EPISODES

    4.9 from 138 ratings Listeners of Flashback that love the show mention: quinn, great new, stephen, tech, apple, youtube, entertaining, old, excited, interesting, content, show, informative, love, listening, good, like, snazzy.



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    Latest episodes from Flashback

    25: On PC Clones & The End of the Road for IBM's Personal Computer Business

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2022 38:49


    IBM quickly lost control of the market it had helped create, going from industry-leader to quietly exiting the personal computer business in just a couple of decades.

    24: Later IBM PC Models

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2021 45:43


    The first IBM PC kicked off what would be a line of computers that would be sold through the 1980s. This week, Quinn and Stephen hit the high points of this beige wave.

    23: IBM's Search for an Operating System

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 26:06


    With its PC built, IBM needed to find an operating system that would run on it. Its choice would change the computer industry forever.

    22: Building the Personal Computer

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 28:19


    The IBM Personal Computer was developed in a shockingly short period of time. This time, Quinn and Stephen discuss the machine's hardware as well as some of the company's earlier attempts at personal computers.

    21: The International Business Machines Corporation

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 45:06


    This season on Flashback, Quinn and Stephen are covering the rise — and fall — of IBM's PC business, but first: some background on the enormous company that Apple and so many others lived in the shadow of back in the 80s.

    20: Windows Vista

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2021 48:16


    The story of Windows Vista is a complicated one. Born from a long and troubled development cycle, it wasn't free of problems at launch, but hardware OEMs and others didn't do much to help its reputation.

    19: The Apple Lisa

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 38:04


    In the early 1980s, Apple launched a computer with a GUI and mouse ... that wasn't the Macintosh.

    18: The Google Graveyard Draft

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2021 69:47


    Google has a knack for shutting down products. This episode, Stephen and Quinn talk about a handful of them.

    17: The Palm Foleo

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 46:11


    A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. A phone. An email terminal. A web-browsing portable companion. Are you getting it? These are not three devices. It's two devices, and we're calling them your Palm phone and Foleo.

    palm foleo
    16: ROKR: The iTunes Phone

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 52:32


    A year and a half before the iPhone was introduced, Apple took the stage to announce a very, very different product: the iTunes phone, built in partnership with Motorola and Cingular.

    15: The Motorola RAZR

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2021 47:24


    This week, Quinn and Stephen talk about one of the world's first cool phones, and how its parent company was bent on destroying its good name.

    14: OS/2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 41:41


    In an effort to keep Microsoft from controlling the PC software industry, in the 1980s, IBM created OS/2, an operating system meant to give its computers a competitive advantage. Unable to do this alone, Big Blue turned to an unlikely company to help build it.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 41:42


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 50:15


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 49:52


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    13: The CrunchPad

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2021 45:17


    In 2008, a vision for a simple, browser-based tablet as born. Just a few years later, after failed lawsuits and rip-off products, no one had anything to show for their work.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2021 58:16


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2021 50:39


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    12: The Amazon Fire Phone

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2021 60:34


    This time, Quinn and Stephen look back — in 3D! — at the Amazon Fire Phone. Between its operating system, unusual gesture system and a price that was way too high, it was dead on arrival. After that, the guys go shopping for each other, picking out some unusual products that bear Amazon's name today.

    11: The Nexus Q

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2021 53:59


    In 2012, Google announced a sphere-shaped media player that was meant to be used with a TV or sound system. It was a disaster. However, nearly a decade later, set-top boxes are nearly everywhere. How did the market move past a weird Google product to offer a wide range of compelling products?

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2020 59:42


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2020 58:09


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2020 57:18


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2020 57:24


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2020 59:19


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2020 59:56


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2020 58:00


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2020 59:40


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2020 59:08


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2020 58:31


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 58:54


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2020 57:25


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2020 56:48


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2020 57:45


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2020 57:28


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2020 55:42


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2020 58:04


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2020 58:24


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    10: Pebble

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2020 47:00


    The smartwatch movement didn't start with Apple or Google, but a little company named Pebble. Through a series of hugely successful Kickstarters, the company put out several well-reviewed products before being steamrolled by the platform-makers.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2020 58:32


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2020 59:35


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    9: The Apple III

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2020 46:41


    The Apple II was a big hit, but before the Macintosh took over, Cupertino shipped a couple of duds, the worst of which was the ill-fated (and kinda melty) Apple III.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2020 58:37


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    8: The Microsoft Kin

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2020 34:20


    Microsoft was late to the smartphone party, and its first entrance, the Kin, was designed for teens and young adults who didn't want or need an iPhone, Android phone or Blackberry. The only problem? That audience didn't really exist.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 58:11


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    7: AOL Instant Messenger

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2020 41:21


    It is time to add Stephen and Quinn to your Buddy List.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2020 58:25


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2020 58:48


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    6: The Be Computer Company

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2020 41:27


    Started by former members of Apple's leadership team, Be was formed to take on the Mac and other computers of the mid-90s. The company wrote its own operating system and shipped dual-CPU towers before failing to be bought by Apple and slowly fading away.

    Flashback

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2020 53:08


    Flashback - a look at the past week's major stories

    5: Three Failed Game Consoles

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 57:13


    On this episode, Quinn and Stephen explore three failed game consoles: the Apple Pippin, Nintendo Virtual Boy and the Ouya.

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