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Smartwatches failed to excite in 2016
When the first smartwatches made it to our wrists a few years ago, we were willing to overlook shortcomings because the product category was in its infancy. But the technology has had time to mature, and 2016 should have been an exciting year in this space. Instead, we saw a number of important brands pull out of the smartwatch race; meanwhile Google deferred major updates to 2017. Smaller but significant companies were swallowed by competitors, and the devices that did launch this year were unexciting at best. Smartwatch sales started to decline in the second quarter, and while the all-important holiday shopping numbers haven't been tallied yet, the future isn't looking good for the category.
The year of Yahoo's undoing
It's not often that we're able to quantify the crappiness of a particular year, but Yahoo's 2016 was so tragic that it ended with a hefty, widely publicized price tag: $1 billion. That's the size of the discount that Verizon requested on its purchase of Yahoo, just three months after the $4.83 billion acquisition went public. That deal (and the discount) is still in the works, and it's expected to close early next year, but Verizon clearly feels it has the upper hand in negotiations. And, after Yahoo's year of hacking disclosures, government spying and security issues, it's easy to see why.
The year's biggest loser was the American public
Even if we judge 2016 purely on the musical legends it stole from us, it would be an awful one. The truth is, this year has been rough by any standard. Our social networks, ostensibly designed to connect us, led us to turn on one another. Incidents of harassment and abuse came to define Twitter. Our already bitter and destructive discourse dissolved even further in the midst of a divisive election season. Meanwhile Facebook was flooded with an alarming number of fake news stories. And if that wasn't enough, we were constantly reminded that none of us are safe from the seemingly endless barrage of hackers. Yep, this year the American public lost, big league.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 20: I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
It's the last episode of the year and host Terrence O'Brien is closing things out with managing editor Dana Wollman and reviews editor Cherlynn Low. After looking at the biggest winners of 2016 last week, the crew is taking on the biggest losers. That means exploding phones, shady medical startups and trolls galore. Plus the standings for Flame Wars are finalized ahead of CES, so get ready 'cause things might get real weird next week.
2016 was a hard year to be an Apple fan
Tim Cook and the rest of Apple's leadership will probably not look back fondly on 2016. iPhone sales declined for the first time, and Apple's profits followed suit. There are still bright spots, like the company's growing services business, and the company is still making insane amounts of money. Even so, the stalled growth has to be concerning to both the company and its investors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to pity Apple. I'm here to commiserate with its fans, the ones who Apple shafted this year. Particularly those of us who waited all year long for a substantial update to the Mac lineup only to be offered a pair of intriguing but compromised new laptops. Or those of us who bought an iPhone 7 and can't use the headphones included with it in our new MacBook Pro, or even those of us trying to figure out which iPad to buy. Across the board, Apple has confusing product lineups with weird and unnecessary compromises. And if you believe the wailing of aggrieved fans across the internet, it seems like plenty of loyal Apple supporters might be contemplating life outside the company's ecosystem. How did we get here?
Twitter spent 2016 pouring gasoline on its fires
Twitter isn't a single entity, but a conglomeration of communities that use the same platform for various purposes. There's weird Twitter, political Twitter -- hell, there's even a cute animal pictures Twitter. Beyond communication in 140-character snippets, there's only one other thing that the service's disparate users can agree on: the fact that the site has failed to fix any of the fundamental problems that have dogged it for years.
Samsung's 2016 went up in smoke
Samsung's year started well, all things considered. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were bona fide hits. The company's financials looked great. Its position as the global leader in the smartphone market was assured. And then the Galaxy Note 7 happened. After months of success, Samsung's year started to unravel -- quickly.
Theranos had an awful year, and it only has itself to blame
Theranos was -- is -- a blood-testing startup that promised to identify illnesses from a single drop of blood. Its innovative hardware, called Edison, could quickly spot diseases without the need for vials of blood. It was so revolutionary that pharmacy chain Walgreens partnered with the startup to offer "wellness centers" inside its stores. Except the biology and technology that underpinned Theranos' business was possibly junk, and the company spent the bulk of 2016 trying to convince everyone that it wasn't a massive con.
The worst gadgets of 2016
2016 was a year in which the fates seemingly asked, "Oh, you think that's bad? Here, hold my beer." We lost a Prince but gained a nacho-cheese-flavored, would-be king. We saw drones that couldn't stop falling out of the sky, Snapchat filters that only a racist uncle could love and more poorly executed gadget gimmicks than you can shake a selfie stick at. Here are some of the cringe-worthiest consumer products we had the misfortune of covering this year.
The biggest losers of 2016
Last week we broke down the biggest winners of 2016. This week, we're taking a look at the biggest losers. Yahoo has clearly had one of the worst years in history for a company. And, unless something changes soon, this whole mess with the NSA and 1.5 billion hacked accounts could become the problem of Engadget's parent company Verizon. So, there's that. Of course there was Samsung's parade of exploding gadgets and Twitter... well, Twitter just couldn't seem to get its act together. It's now known as the platform of choice for trolls and white supremacists as much as it is for forcing you to distill complex thoughts into 140-character fragments. Of course, between the explosion of fake news and the continued hostility towards the science of climate change, the biggest loser of 2016, might just be the American public. Check out all of Engadget's year-in-review coverage right here.
The best games of 2016
The year is nearly over, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'm ready to leave behind the dark, twisted fantasy that is 2016. No matter your political persuasion, social status or country of residence, you'll have felt disquieted by events at some point this year. The sheer scale of 2016's failings allows for such blanket statements. Natural disasters, mass shootings and political events have left me buffeted by wave after wave of anxiety. Because of this never-ending cycle of unease, video games have been more important to me this year. Of course, they're always a form of escapism, but in 2016 they've had to function as a kind of digital cocoon. Gaming has been a place to retreat. A moment of respite. Whether passing the minutes on a mindless clicker or puzzle game, losing myself for hours in grand strategies and sport sims or taking a long weekend to head out on a fantastic adventure, gaming has helped me. A lot. Perhaps that's why I've been reacting to game delays with all the composure of a YouTube commenter. And, God, the delays have come thick and fast.
