From AirPower to deserted tablets, Apple’s highway to success is suffering from failures
Apple has scrapped plans to enter the automotive trade with its mysterious autonomous electrical automotive, as a substitute shifting focus to the wildly common world of generative AI. The mission noticed the corporate hiring distinguished executives from locations like Tesla and Ford. Its finish has led to job losses for some workers, whereas others have modified divisions inside the corporate.
The so-called Undertaking Titan had reportedly been within the works since 2014. It might have confirmed stiff competitors for Tesla and others, given Apple’s historical past of disrupting varied markets. The corporate did it with the iPod, iPhone, Apple Watch and, most lately, with its AirPods (the jury continues to be out on Imaginative and prescient Professional).
However not each mission has been a rousing success for the corporate. Previous to Undertaking Titan, there have been a number of Apple efforts that didn’t see the sunshine of day. Listed below are among the extra notable examples of Apple initiatives that didn’t hit the market.
AirPower
Picture Credit: Apple
Not each instance is from the distant previous. The wi-fi charging mat, which Apple first introduced in 2017, was anticipated to make use of the Qi commonplace to cost as much as three gadgets at a time. Nonetheless, the corporate canceled the mission in 2019, citing failure to attain its “excessive requirements.” Apple changed the AirPower with its folding journey charger MagSafe Duo in 2020. However not like the AirPower mat, MagSafe Duo solely helps simultaneous charging of as much as two gadgets: the iPhone and the Apple Watch or iPod.
Tv
Apple’s tv (to not be confused with Apple TV) is one other instance of a long-rumored mission that didn’t materialize. Analysts and buyers anticipated the arrival of a full-fledged ultra-high-definition TV set from the corporate again in 2011. Like Undertaking Titan, Apple by no means publicly disclosed its existence earlier than it was reportedly scrapped years again.
Vademecum
Apple prototyped an early pill greater than a decade and a half previous to launching the primary iPad. In 1994, some early pictures of the mission surfaced on-line, suggesting it was exploring the addition of a stylus and built-in digital camera. Nonetheless, as former Apple government Dan Russell mentioned in a 2018 weblog put up, the corporate killed the mission as there was “no marketplace for a pill pc” on the time.
MessageSlate
The Vademecum wasn’t Apple’s solely failed try and design a desk. At roughly the identical time, the corporate was additionally engaged on a Newton OS-based mission referred to as MessageSlate (codenamed Senior). A trademark utility for the machine appeared in 1993. Nonetheless, Apple scrapped it and delivered MessagePad, a smaller model of the MessageSlate prototype, later within the yr.
W.A.L.T.
Properly earlier than the iPhone, Apple examined a “phone Mac” codenamed W.A.L.T. It appeared to have a touchscreen panel with stylus help and included options resembling fax and caller ID. Some early models of W.A.L.T. even surfaced on eBay for public sale. Nonetheless, Apple by no means mentioned the machine publicly.
PenLite
In 1992, Apple was growing one other pill. PenLite gave the impression to be primarily based on System 7.1 — the primary model of Apple’s Macintosh working system designed for PowerPC-based computer systems. Reviews prompt that it could have a stylus and a 25MHz Motorola processor. In contrast to the Vademecum, the PenLite was reportedly in improvement with no digital camera. Apple in the end scrapped that mission, too. Very similar to the later machine, the corporate decided that the market merely wasn’t prepared.
