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Tech Losers of the '00s

From AOL to Motorola to Circuit City, these companies couldn't keep up

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 31, 2009 2:13 PM CST

(Newser) – It’s been an amazing decade for technology, but not everyone came out ahead. CrunchGear considers the big losers of the '00s, starting with the biggest: Brick and mortar retailers. Once consumers learned to trust online merchants, lots of stores—we’re looking at you Circuit City and CompUSA—went the way of the dodo, driven out by the lower prices and long-tail advantages of the Internet. So they’re the biggest losers. Runners-up:

  • Motorola: Remember when the RAZR was the hottest phone out there? Didn't think so.
  • RIAA/MPAA: “These stodgy litigious institutions continue to dig their grave.” Instead of taking advantage of the revolution in distribution technology, they sued the audience.
  • AOL: Couldn’t manage to remake itself as a powerful brand, because everyone knew it represented the “corporate-controlled, content-locked, closely monitored Internet that the big guys would just love to foist on us.”
  • Honorable Mentions: Internet Explorer, HD DVD, satellite radio, and print media.

The entrance to a closed Circuit City store is barred in Beaverton, Ore., Thursday, May 28, 2009.
The entrance to a closed Circuit City store is barred in Beaverton, Ore., Thursday, May 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
maevealleine
Jan 1, 2010 7:03 AM CST
Spoken like someone who has no clue about tech or it's industry.
JGirl
Jan 1, 2010 6:54 AM CST
what's wrong with satellite radio?
offspringdude235
Jan 1, 2010 5:33 AM CST
The first set of razrs were not bad... After they got cheap and super-mass produced the quality of the phone went to shit. Literally I never dropped it or did anything harmful to the phone. The phone screen melted in my pocket after six months. Ridiculous. Loved my krazr though.
 

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