Top 10 Worst Microsoft Products Ever
Summary
TLDRThe video counts down Microsoft products that failed or were widely disliked, starting with the annoying Clippy assistant. It continues with Windows tools like Genuine Advantage and MSN TV that had critical flaws. Other Microsoft gadget flops highlighted include the Microsoft Band, Windows Phone, and Zune music player. The video also calls out software like Windows Vista for poor reception and Internet Explorer 6 for security issues. Despite efforts to compete with Apple and Google, Microsoft has released many products that missed the mark with consumers and developers.
Takeaways
- 😟 Clippy, the Office Assistant paperclip, was intended to provide helpful suggestions but quickly became annoying and unhelpful
- 😠 Windows Genuine Advantage backfired spectacularly by triggering false positives and rendering PCs barely usable
- 😴 MSN TV attempted to bring the internet to TVs but failed to achieve mass adoption
- 📉 The Microsoft Band fitness devices sold quickly at first but were soon discontinued due to high prices and strong competition
- ☎️ Windows Phone failed to surpass iOS and Android despite acquisitions like Nokia due to copying the unsuccessful Windows 8 interface
- 🎪 Microsoft Bob presented an animated living room interface but was doomed by hardware requirements and a goofy interface
- 🔒 Internet Explorer 6's security flaws and incompatibilities plagued it despite high market share
- 😫 Windows Vista received mixed reviews and criticism around hardware requirements and new features
- 🎧 The Zune media player attempted to compete with the iPod but failed due to Apple's stronghold on the portable music market
- 📱 The Microsoft Kin social networking phones lasted only 48 days and lacked basic features like calendars and contact lists
Q & A
What was Clippy and why was it so disliked?
-Clippy was an animated paperclip assistant introduced in Microsoft Office to provide helpful suggestions. It often interrupted users unnecessarily and became very annoying, leading Microsoft to remove it in Office 2007.
What was the goal behind Windows Genuine Advantage?
-Windows Genuine Advantage was meant to detect illegal/pirated copies of Windows running on PCs. It aimed to ensure PCs were properly licensed but often falsely flagged legitimate systems, rendering them barely usable.
How did Microsoft attempt to bring the internet to TVs in the 1990s?
-Microsoft bought a web TV service and rebranded it in 2001 as MSN TV, which allowed people to access the internet and features like email on their televisions. It failed to gain mass adoption and was shut down in 2013.
Why did the Microsoft Band wearable device fail?
-Despite strong initial sales, the Microsoft Band struggled due to high prices, lack of features compared to rivals like Fitbit, and Microsoft's inability to compete with more established players in the fitness wearables market.
What made Internet Explorer 6 so infamous?
-IE6 was notorious for security flaws, lack of web standards support, and months-long delays in fixing vulnerabilities - despite having over 90% browser market share at its peak due to Windows bundling.
How did Windows Vista compare to Windows XP?
-After the success of XP, Vista was plagued by a difficult development, high hardware demands,Annoying new features like UAC, and many performance issues. Most welcomed its 2009 replacement Windows 7.
What was Microsoft Bob and why did it fail?
-Bob was an early 1990s attempt to replace the Windows desktop with an interactive living room. It featured cartoon characters to help guide users but had complex hardware needs. It was discontinued within a year.
Why couldn't the Zune compete with the iPod?
-Apple had a stronghold on portable music players. The Zune tried copying the iPod too late, with an interface and features most users weren't interested in. Microsoft couldn't catch up.
What was the Microsoft Kin?
-The Kin was a short-lived 2010 attempt at a social networking-focused mobile device. It completely failed due to lacking key features expected of smartphones and was discontinued within months.
What product disappointed users by not delivering on advertised promises?
-Microsoft claimed Windows 98 would be faster, more efficient, and provide better Internet access than prior versions. It failed to deliver on these promises, disappointing many users.
Outlines
😆 Clippy and Other Early Microsoft Fails
Paragraph 1 discusses Clippy, the annoying and unhelpful Microsoft Office assistant introduced in the 1990s. It was supposed to provide help but users found it irritating. Microsoft eventually removed Clippy in Office 2007.
😠 Windows Genuine Advantage Backfired
Paragraph 2 covers Windows Genuine Advantage, an anti-piracy tool by Microsoft. It often falsely flagged legitimate copies of Windows as pirated. This caused issues for users and Microsoft eventually replaced it after Windows 7.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Microsoft products
💡clippy
💡Windows phone
💡Internet Explorer 6
💡Windows Vista
💡Microsoft Bob
💡Zoom
💡Microsoft Kin
💡failed products
💡consumer technology history
Highlights
Clippy was an early attempt by Microsoft to introduce primitive AI suggestive technology into its Office applications
Clippy quickly became far more annoying than helpful to knowledgeable users
Windows Genuine Advantage was a means of detecting illegal copies of Windows but it backfired by triggering false positives
MSN TV was an attempt to bring the internet to TVs but the future was never going to be internet use in front of a TV set
The Microsoft Band was a short-lived fitness device that initially sold well but failed due to high price and lack of features
Windows Phone tried to compete with iOS and Android but failed due to not adapting the desktop OS well to smartphones
Microsoft Bob featured an interactive living room interface but was doomed by hardware requirements and a goofy interface
Internet Explorer 6 had huge market share but was plagued by security flaws and incompatibilities with standards
Windows Vista was meant to follow the successful XP but is considered a failure due to issues like high hardware requirements
The Microsoft Zune was meant to compete with the iPod but failed due to Apple's stronghold on the portable music market
The Microsoft Kin was a failed social networking phone that lacked key features like calendars and contact lists
Clippy was Microsoft's attempt at introducing primitive AI into Office but it quickly became annoying
Windows Genuine Advantage backfired by triggering false positives and rendering PCs barely usable
Windows Phone failed to compete with iOS and Android due to not adapting the desktop OS well
Internet Explorer 6 had huge market share but suffered from security flaws and lack of web standards support
Transcripts
captain now just show me how to work
this thing welcome to watch Mojo and
today we're counting down our picks for
products from Microsoft that were just
plain awful and probably should have
been left on the drawing board plus
Rover is always around to help when you
need
it number 10 clippy officially known as
the office assistant clippy was an early
attempt by Microsoft to introduce
primitive AI suggestive technology into
its office applications would you like
some help I used to help people all day
long remember how helpful I was shown on
screen as an animated paperclip this
assistant would provide suggestions or
attempt to help you while you worked in
Microsoft Office although the intent was
admirable clippy quickly became far more
annoying and helpful is there any way to
turn that moronic paperclip off memo to
Bill Gates if that paperclip pops up one
more time I can't take that thing
anymore I quit knowledgeable users would
often be interrupted in the middle of
their work to be asked if they needed
help when they clearly were fine on
their own go away you paperclip no one
likes you with the release of Office
2007 Microsoft finally put clippy back
in a desk drawer never to be seen again
number nine Windows genuine Advantage
thanks to the miracle of the internet
the ability to download pirated software
has never been easier as a result
companies like Microsoft have tried
putting safeties in place to prevent
such theft Windows genuine Advantage was
a means of detecting illegal copies of
Microsoft Windows running on a PC spun
to customers as a way to ensure their
PCS were fully licensed the program
backfired in a spectacular fashion
anything from firewall software to a
simple Windows update could trigger a
false positive rendering the PC barely
usable by most Microsoft moved on from
the original iteration of this tool
after Windows 7 number eight MSN TV back
in the 1990s the internet was still
relatively new to Consumers it's easy to
set up easy to use this is simple given
that most people Center of entertainment
was in front of a television many
thought that's where the internet should
belong as well web TV networks created
web TV which allowed people to use the
internet on their television Microsoft
bought the service and in 2001 rebranded
it as MSN TV send email on your TV view
photos and slideshows with friends and
family explore new hobbies and see it
all big on your TV as history has now
shown us the future of internet use was
never going to be in front of a TV set
despite the low price point Mass
adoption was never achieved and
Microsoft finally shut down the service
in 2013 all within your comfort zone
number seven Microsoft band the success
of Fitness devices like the Fitbit
inspired many companies to follow suit
with similar options the Microsoft band
was a short-lived attempt at an advanced
Fitness device that was worn on your
wrist now for Fitness you can go running
with this you can go walking you can go
to the gym there are workouts that you
can download onto this compatible with
iOS Android and Windows Phone osis it
seemed like a natural extension of
Microsoft Technology the first first
iteration sold out very quickly giving
Microsoft hope that the product had a
future introducing the Smart Band for
Microsoft for people who want to live
healthier be more
productive and stay connected with the
people and moments that matter most but
the release of Band 2 things slowly went
off a cliff between the high price
points lack of features and a plethora
of well-positioned competitors the
software company gave up on the product
only 2 years after its initial release
with Microsoft band there are no limits
to what you can do so do great things
number six Windows phone it's time for a
phone really really to save us from our
phones PC or Mac Apple or Android Coke
or Pepsi it seems the market will often
steer towards two major brands which
consumers then choose between I think
you clearly have a lot more variety than
Apple has there's really one choice uh
in the Apple in the Apple world big
screen little screen we got a lot of
choices Windows phone was an attempt by
Microsoft to try and surpass their two
biggest competitors a new experience
that keeps your life in motion and lets
you flow seamlessly through integrated
hubs hubs that pull the stuff you want
and bring it all to one place through
several iterations of the Windows phone
platform Microsoft proved they couldn't
take a desktop OS and put it on a
smartphone with Windows 8 having been a
colossal failure copying that interface
to their mobile platform didn't help
increase their adoption rates combined
that with the sheer base of users Google
had even the acquisition of Nokia and
the release of the Lumia line couldn't
help them Reach the top of the market
number five Microsoft Bob long before
the days of Microsoft Windows having a
start menu users really just saw a
collection of icons and folders on the
screen Microsoft Bob was an early
attempt to change that instead of icons
Bob presented an interactive living room
of sorts scattered around the room were
things like a Rolodex a clock pen and
paper and even a calendar cck clicking
on the various items would then launch a
corresponding application it also
featured animated cartoon characters to
help you which eventually did Inspire
the aformentioned clippy no matter what
you need to do Bob makes Computing
easier and more enjoyable than ever
before as creative as it was Bob's
Hardware requirements and Goofy
interface doomed the product the lights
on Bob's room interface went dark less
than a year after release number four
Internet Explorer 6 it may have been the
most popular browser at the time of its
release but that doesn't necessarily
mean it was a success released in 2001
Internet Explorer 6 at its peak had
about 90% of the market share for web
browsers mainly due to being included
with every version of Windows that
amount of users helped illuminate
countless security flaws and
inconsistent behavior that plagued the
software repeatedly Slam by developers
I6 was Notorious for its
incompatibilities with industry
standards that more advanced browsers
were already supporting numerous
dangerous vulnerabilities and I6
security would sometimes take months to
fix leaving users exposed to would be
hackers but 2008 support for ie6 across
the web began to drop signaling the end
of an era number three Windows Vista
what is the most infamous failed
Microsoft operating system Windows 8
Windows m not quite of all the operating
systems the company has released Windows
Vista would have to be considered the
biggest failure on the OS side intended
to be the well anticipated follow-up to
the highly successful Windows XP Vista
never stood a chance in comparison to
its Elders played by a long and
difficult development cycle Vista
received mixed best reviews upon release
some of the biggest criticisms lay
around Hardware requirements the new UAC
system and countless other new features
everyone was happier when Windows 7
finally replaced it in 2009 my new
computer came with Windows
7 Windows 7 is much more userfriendly
than Windows
Vista I don't like that number two Zoom
unless you've seen one on the Guardians
of the Galaxy movies it's very likely
you've never heard of the Microsoft Zoom
there's a lady on there named Alice
Cooper that I like a lot she seems kind
of angry but kind of like stuff how we
felt when we were kids you know
introduced in 2006 the zoom was meant to
be a direct competitor with Apple's iPod
I stood in front of a case of iPods and
I bought a
zoom what's a zoom yep exactly
unfortunately Apple's stronghold on the
portable music Market pretty much doomed
this from the beginning it was a case of
Microsoft trying to play catchup with a
device that users didn't want and an
interface that they weren't interested
in in Microsoft tried their hand again
in the music space with Groove music but
that came and went even quicker than the
zoom did Zoom HD it's a premium portable
entertainment experience before we
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notifications number one Microsoft Kin
never heard of the Microsoft Kin don't
feel bad nobody else has either released
in the summer of 2010 this attempt at a
social networking device originally
lasted for 48 days portrayed as a
messaging and social device its
integration with social networks was
feature deprived and didn't come with
any native instant messaging software
adding insult to injury there was no
calendar to manage your social life or
contact list app to store your friends
details they revamped and relaunched it
again in December of 2010 but even their
new endline of K devices couldn't make
it through another year have you ever
used any of these micr products give us
the lowdown in the comments below you
told us Windows 98 would be faster and
more efficient with better access to the
internet did you enjoy this video check
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