The release of the 3G iPhone yesterday, with all its hype and frenzied, breathless media coverage, got us thinking about other gadgets and products that have been unveiled with similar fanfare—and whether they stacked up to the hysteria. Here's our list of the top five most hyped, overly publicized tech products in recent history. Have any favorites of your own? Let's hear about them in the comments section below.
3G iPhone
The Apple 3G iPhone. Enough Said.
Segway
Segway. One of the nerdiest devices ever built, the publicity machine around the Segway was still one of the most effective. For months people only knew that "it" was coming, until it was unveiled on Good Morning America. Steve Jobs at the time said it would be "as big a deal as the PC." Wonder if he's rethinking that commmet now?
Apple Newton
Apple Newton. Maybe it was its cute name, or the fact that it was, in many ways, ahead of its time in 1993, but Apple hype machine did it again with its first stab at a handheld computer, the Newton. While one of its stated goals was to "reinvent personal computing," it didn't quite hit the mark.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth. Remember when Bluetooth was going to change, like, the world? You would not longer need wires in your computer, and it would accomplish things like allowing disabled individuals to open doors just by looking at them. While all that was exciting and epic, so far its primary applications are those annoying cell phone headsets and wireless mouses.
Windows 95
Windows 95. Windows 95 was unleashed on the public with commercials featuring the Rolling Stones, and a 30 minute "cyber sitcom" featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, who in 1995 were it. The hype was so great that on the release date, many computer stores opened at midnight to sell copies, and Microsoft's own ad campaign featured stories about people waiting in line to get their hands on a copy. These days it seems like only Harry Potter can generate that kind of excitement.
(List created with a little help from Yahoo Tech!, Gizmodo, and Wired.)
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