Home » Spotlight • US business news » Companies Who Created Amazing Tech And Did Nothing With It
https://www.whatjobs.com/news/what-news-topical/companies-who-created-amazing-tech-and-did-nothing-with-it
In the fast-paced world of technology, innovation alone doesn't guarantee success.
Numerous companies have developed groundbreaking technology but chosen not to capitalize on it.
This often leads to missed opportunities and competitors emerging to dominate emerging markets.
Here are some notable examples:
Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) was a hotbed of innovation in the 1970s and 1980s.
Among its developments were the graphical user interface (GUI), the computer mouse, and early networking protocols.
Despite these advancements, Xerox did not aggressively market or develop these technologies for the consumer market.
The GUI and mouse were later popularized by Apple with the Macintosh and by Microsoft with Windows.
Bell Labs invented the transistor in 1947, which became a crucial component for modern electronics.
Although Bell Labs did use transistors internally and licensed the technology to other companies, it did not fully exploit its commercial potential.
It was other companies, like Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor, that transformed the transistor into a cornerstone of the electronics industry.
Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career
IBM developed the first personal computer, the IBM PC, in the early 1980s.
However, instead of developing its own operating system, IBM outsourced this task to Microsoft.
Microsoft’s MS-DOS became the dominant operating system, leading to Microsoft's rise as a tech giant.
IBM's decision not to control the operating system allowed Microsoft to capture a significant portion of the market.
Nokia was a pioneer in mobile phone technology and had early smartphone concepts and designs.
Despite having the technology and market presence, Nokia was slow to adopt and innovate in the smartphone sector.
Apple’s iPhone and Android-based devices eventually dominated the market, leading to Nokia’s decline in the mobile phone industry.
Blockbuster was approached by Reed Hastings in 2000 with a proposal to buy Netflix and add a streaming service to their offerings.
Blockbuster declined the offer, focusing instead on their traditional brick-and-mortar rental model.
Netflix went on to revolutionize the home entertainment industry with its streaming service, while Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
Motorola created the RAZR, one of the most iconic and successful mobile phones of the mid-2000s.
Despite the success of the phone, Motorola failed to follow up with significant innovation in the smartphone era.
It eventually lost the market share to competitors like Apple and Samsung.
HP developed the HP-150, one of the world's earliest touchscreen computers, in the early 1980s.
Despite being ahead of its time, HP did not continue to innovate in touchscreen technology for PCs.
Many years later, the market for touchscreen devices exploded with the advent of tablets and smartphones, but HP was not involved in this.
AT&T developed early voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which allows voice communication over the internet.
However, AT&T it did not aggressively pursue the commercialization of VoIP.
Other companies like Skype and Vonage capitalized on this technology, disrupting traditional telephone markets.
Follow us on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook
