What’s yesterday’s failed technology worth today?

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Not every invention is a homerun and sometimes that foul ball turns out to be worth some money. So is the case with failed technology that didn’t make the cut for whatever reason but still commands a premium price to collectors. One of the biggest failed technology projects was the Apple Lisa, Steve Jobs’ pet project that didn’t meet expectations. IBM crushed Apple in sales and the Lisa was a roaring failure, yet it is worth $2200 now.

The same failed technology story applies to Beta Max which saw dismal sales against its chief competition, VHS. Beta Max players sold around 2 million units while VHS went well into the 200 million units sold mark. The difference is VHS players are sold in thrift stores for $5 now and Beta Max are worth $1250. There are many examples of failed technology that has increased in value, mostly due to their scarcity and availability.

Consumers can be fickle and the marketing game can sway a buyer’s loyalty at the drop of a dime. Some of these failed technology projects may have been winners if they had played the advertising and consumer fishing game just a bit better. Of course there is the fact that some of these tech ideas just plain sucked and they got bested by significantly better technology fair and square.

Still though, I was always a Beta Max fan and rooted for them to become more popular than they were. Don’t judge me! 😉

Check out the full list of failed technology in the infographic below and let us know if you owned any of these or still own them. Have you sold any of these for a profit? Let us know your thoughts and comments below or on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

infographic
View Interactive Version (via TotallyMoney.com).

*The above infographic and its information provided by totalmoney.com, totalmoney.com is responsible for the research and data contained within this infographic.

Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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