The Year in Bad Tech

A look back at some of the worst tech products and developments of 2023

Image: Badly edited by author

This article was originally published on my Substack, Trend Mill.

Every year, technology advances at breakneck speed in the relentless pursuit of making the world a better place (read: making shitloads of money.)

And every year, companies throw more and more technology at us. Some of it is good, some is genuinely revolutionary, but most is unnecessary, uninspired, or worse, downright bad.

I’ve reflected on the past year and picked out some of the biggest offenders.

Got one that should be added to this collection? Drop it in a comment below, and if I agree, I’ll add it to the list.

Apple VR Headset

After many years of speculation, 2023 was the year Apple announced the launch of its mixed-reality headset — the Vision Pro.

Despite rumors Apple tried for years to make the device a pair of glasses (which may have been revolutionary), this looks like a pair of swanky ski goggles, just with the added Apple-esque touches like “the Digital Crown” and all the bumps and groves that comes with its signature material choices. But it’s just another clunky headset. It also comes with some dumb features, like the…