The 10 most blatant mistakes in technology history

To err is human. This also applies to famous tech geniuses. Because many of them have already made serious mistakes in the course of their careers. In our weekly ranking we show you the ten most blatant errors in the history of technology.

So far, the history of technology has not only seen groundbreaking innovations and significant achievements. Some of the industry's geniuses have also had to answer for serious errors and misunderstandings – some of which still exist today. In addition to inaccurate forecasts, this also includes bad decisions that cost the companies in question their success.

The most blatant errors in technology history

Given the rapid pace of change, it is not surprising that not every prediction has come true – especially because some IT innovations that seem completely normal today were almost unimaginable at the time. While some of the misjudgments make us smile today, others have even changed the tech world for good. In the following ranking, we show you ten of the most blatant errors in technology history.

1. The phone has too many defects

“The Telephone has too many serious deficiencies for a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us”: This is how a Western Union manager famously stated it in 1876. In 1877, US President Rutherford B. Hayes also could not imagine what people could use the “amazing” invention for. The past 148 years have proven that both were wrong: Telephones are not only proven to be very good as a means of communication. In the form of smartphones, they are now also competing with computers.

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