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stretchwithme wrote: post #2

Pontiac Aztec is probably the worst invention on the list. But why is Betamax there? I thought it was a viable format that just didn't win.

Betamax was technically superior to VHS, but VHS won because its cheap, permissive licencing earned it the crucial network effects that made it the default platform. (Incidentally, you could say exactly the same thing about MS-DOS.)

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#5

Post by Deestan » Mon, May 31, 2010, 1:40 PM UTC

stretchwithme wrote: post #2

Pontiac Aztec is probably the worst invention on the list. But why is Betamax there? I thought it was a viable format that just didn't win.

From the article:

> Betamax wasn't so much a bad product as a lesson in marketing gone awry.

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#6

Post by devinj » Mon, May 31, 2010, 1:48 PM UTC

Deestan wrote: post #5

stretchwithme wrote: post #2

Pontiac Aztec is probably the worst invention on the list. But why is Betamax there? I thought it was a viable format that just didn't win.

From the article: > Betamax wasn't so much a bad product as a lesson in marketing gone awry.

Which means it wasn't a terrible invention at all. So again, why is it on this list?

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#7

Post by EliRivers » Mon, May 31, 2010, 2:06 PM UTC

DDT was a fantastic invention for combating malaria. Great invention, terrible application thereof.

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#8

Post by arbitraryperson » Mon, May 31, 2010, 2:33 PM UTC

"bright ideas that just didn't work out"

I'm pretty sure foursquare, farmville, hydrogenated oils, auto-tune, tanning beds, plastic grocery bags, and some other stuff on that list are still 'work[ing] out.'

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#9

Post by arethuza » Mon, May 31, 2010, 2:41 PM UTC

It's quite impressive that one guy managed to invent two of the entries on that list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley,_Jr.

He invented tetra-ethyl lead and CFCs.

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#10

Post by jhawk28 » Mon, May 31, 2010, 2:43 PM UTC

New Coke indirectly made the company TONs of money. Before New Coke, cane sugar was used as sweeteners (expensive). They used high fructose corn syrup in New Coke and caused everyone to "hate" it. When they released Coke Classic, they used the old formula, but kept the corn syrup. Because people had become used to the taste, they did not notice the difference. This allowed them to considerably lower the cost of the materials.