Google Glass, Apple Newton make it to Swedish Museum of Failure
Google and Apple are not synonymous with failure but in the risky business of innovation, anything is possible. At Sweden's newly opened Museum of Failure, Google Glass and Apple Newton are two such devices that were either ahead of their time or the results of some bad ideas.
Founded by clinical psychologist Samuel West, the museum that opened on June 7 to the public has over 70 failed products and services from around the world.
"We know that 80 to 90 percent of innovation projects, they fail and you never read about them, you don't see them, people don't talk about them. And if there's anything we can do from these failures, it's learn from them," West told CBS News.
The list has Nokia "N-gage" device, Orbitoclast Lobotomy (medical instrument), Harley-Davidson Perfume, Kodak Digital Camera, Sony Betamax and Lego Fiber Optics, among others, the information available on the Museum of Failure website stated.
Developed and marketed by Apple Inc starting 1987, Newton was one of the first personal digital assistants to feature handwriting recognition. Apple shipped the first devices in 1993.
Initially considered as innovative, Apple founder Steve Jobs directed the company to stop the production of Apple Newton devices in 1998.
According to reports, Newton devices ran on a proprietary operating system called Newton OS. The high price and early problems with its handwriting recognition feature limited its sales.
Google Glass, an eye-wearable device, created a storm when the company handed over a prototype to a few "Glass Explorers" in 2013 for $1,500.
The optical head-mounted display became available to public in May 2014 but was discontinued in 2015 owing to privacy and safety concerns. The device, however, is now gaining momentum in the medical industry.
Nokia made "N-Gage" mobile device and handheld game system that ran on Series 60 platform on Symbian OS. The device, released in October 2003, was discontinued two years later. "N-Gage" suffered from a poor gaming library.
The Museum of Failure is open to the public in downtown Helsingborg.
