My 5 top popular tech services/products that are really useless for most

[ACTIONpack]

I've seen a lot of tech services and products that became popular but have very little use for it and here is my list.

1. iPad - The first truly mostly useless tech that most people use it just to show that they have an iPad. Look at me mom, I'm typing an email to a friend, 10 minutes later they are finish typing the 5 sentence with the iPad signature on the email to make sure they are cool. I also see people going to the gym and lifting weights and listening to music on them. I'm dead serious. Remember seeing those hot girls taking a picture in front of the mirror with a cooking pan? It's not a pan, it's an iPad. They do have some use like presentation to clients but that's mostly it. A laptop can do the job just as good but with a lot of features like a real keyboard. I did see someone watch movies on their iPad in a room that has a 55 inch HDTV that is not turn on. Most people buy it because of style and saying that I'm rich.

2. Twitter - The SMS for the web. 125 characters per message of useless crap. People following 1000s and no one reads most of them. Fake accounts made by bots to help people get twitter follower for business mostly. It does not add anything to a business but for the owner or sells man to tell consumers that I have 1000s of followers, so that I'm important. I don't can't that your watching tv or what your thinking about at this moment. I just don't care about some random jackass. Your not important and no one cares about you. Also Twitter has not yet made any money but people still invest in this company.

3. HDTV 3D / 3D Film - 3D Film has been out since 1915 but did become popular until the 1950s. You know the Red and Blue plastic glasses. 3D film fade away until the 1980s and 1900s when it became somewhat popular again. IMAX was the company that started to make better 3D tech but was still on the low end effect. Late 2000s was were the 3D film got really good and movies are being film in 3D instead of the standard filming then post-production would add the 3D effect. But still 3D really add anything to the movie itself and in fact a lot of the time it made it worst because of sense that really didn't need a bullet coming at you. When it came to tv and 3D it was not really a big thing that people wanted but TV makers would add it just to add more money to the price of the HDTV. Glasses are overprice and some needs batteries to work. If you ask most people, they request HDTV 3D but never use it when they install it at their home.

4. Xbox 360 Kinect - Microsoft was behind when it came to thinking out of the box and it was an counter reaction to the Wii remote. Wii was out selling Xbox 360 and Microsoft needed to get the causal and/or younger gamers to Xbox 360. A lot of people bought the Wii for the motion remote when playing Wii Sports. The problem with the Wii was that most people didnt use the system that much and it was a fade. Same goes with the Kinect. It sold over 8 million units and most of the games are not really good. Controlling the Xbox UI is not easy and it takes a lot longer to get around then a remote or the controller. It was more of a gimme it then anything else.

5. Monster's Beats - Monster was first known to make really expensive wire input. You know the one that says Gold plated and charge $120 for them. But now they have been in the headphone for many years. Good headphones but for some of them can range from $99 to $399. Even though Monster and Beats are not partners anymore I still pull them in the same class. The ONLY reason people guy them because it has Dr Dre name to them. Which is one of the reason why you see a lot of black people wearing them. Great marketing is what Beats is good with!

[Shane Nokes]

I see 5 items and already factual & grammatical (which I won't nitpick on) errors.

1. Twitter has a 140 character limit. Also Microsoft holds a Guinness Record for their Xbox Elite Tweet Fleet. It's a heavily lauded support option.

2. I'm not an iPad guy, but your point there seems to be it's for the rich and that it's not useful. It does have a use, even if it's not my preferred product.

3. The price of the 3D HDTV's is actually less than the price of the regular HDTV's from just a few years ago, for the same size. It's not really adding much to the price. Also a lot of the TV's use passive technology which is practically free. Heck the local Fry's gives away 12 (yes 12) pairs of the passive glasses away with TV purchases.

4. The Kinect uses a completely different type of control system based on cameras, whereas the Wii uses an Infrared based tracking system that just takes into account the bounce of a IR signal. It's like a remote control on steroids. The Kinect has also seen practical applications in the fields of robotics and medicine. It also allows for voice control of the system, which I use on a daily basis. It's also helped alot with my physical issues (degenerative disc disease) since it allows for me to do self paced workouts at home.

5. Now Monster stuff is something I will mostly agree on. I don't care for it all that much. That's not to say that there's not actually quality there, but for me it's not a good value proposition. I prefer my in-ear Zune V1 Premium Headphones for my audio.

[ACTIONpack]

I see 5 items and already factual & grammatical (which I won't nitpick on) errors.

1. Twitter has a 140 character limit. Also Microsoft holds a Guinness Record for their Xbox Elite Tweet Fleet. It's a heavily lauded support option.

2. I'm not an iPad guy, but your point there seems to be it's for the rich and that it's not useful. It does have a use, even if it's not my preferred product.

3. The price of the 3D HDTV's is actually less than the price of the regular HDTV's from just a few years ago, for the same size. It's not really adding much to the price. Also a lot of the TV's use passive technology which is practically free. Heck the local Fry's gives away 12 (yes 12) pairs of the passive glasses away with TV purchases.

4. The Kinect uses a completely different type of control system based on cameras, whereas the Wii uses an Infrared based tracking system that just takes into account the bounce of a IR signal. It's like a remote control on steroids. The Kinect has also seen practical applications in the fields of robotics and medicine. It also allows for voice control of the system, which I use on a daily basis. It's also helped alot with my physical issues (degenerative disc disease) since it allows for me to do self paced workouts at home.

5. Now Monster stuff is something I will mostly agree on. I don't care for it all that much. That's not to say that there's not actually quality there, but for me it's not a good value proposition. I prefer my in-ear Zune V1 Premium Headphones for my audio.

Yea, I know my grammar sucks ass but I can't do anything about that. On of the reason why I'm not a writer but a graphic designer. :-)

Also forgot to say about the iPad that everything an iPhone does can be done with an iPad.

[Shane Nokes]

Yup that's why I said I wouldn't nitpick on it :)

I would also say that the iPad doesn't do everything an iPhone does since it's not a cell phone. It is very similar feature-wise however in many ways. Plus the bigger screen is a plus for many users as compared to the (relatively) tiny iPhone screen.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

Tablets in general are actually useful for a lot of people. Perhaps not an iPad, as the cost is often not justifiable if all you need to do is browse and check email, but something like the Nexus 7, great for that kinda thing.

Also, the iPhone has a tiny screen, and some people actually do watch TV/Film services through it (e.g. somebody that has no TV signal but has internet access), so an iPad or Nexus 7 would be better for them in that case.

I agree with you on everything else though. Twitter is an absolute bore. And I always grin whenever I see someone wearing Dre Beats equipment. They got conned big time. :p

[ACTIONpack]

I can't tell whether you're just a technophone or have been bitten before after buying a Wii expecting a 360 experience.

1. iPad

Incredibly useful for work. I as my colleagues use them all the time

2. Twitter

The place I work uses Twitter to send Customer service updates to the masses.

3. HDTV 3D / 3D Film

Immersive entertainment at home- my children love watching Disney in 3D.

4. Xbox 360 Kinect

Its not just a webcam for games. You need to consider the wider application of the technology.

5. Monster's Beat

This is the only item I'd agree with.

I don't own an Wii but I do own an 360 and PS3. Beside presentation, you can do everything else better on a laptop then an iPad.

[+Warwagon MVC]

I remember Robert Scoble saying that the iPad gives you "The best possible web experience"!.... Uh no, it doesn't! It doesn't give a bad one, but it doesn't give you the best one.

The best is still on my desktop or laptop, I can't count how many times i've been SOOO frustrated trying to do some stuff on the tablet. Notably some of it had to do with the mobile version of Neowin. I'm usually heard uttering "**** IT!" and I grab my laptop.

I have a Windows tablet and in iPad, they both annoy the **** out of me as soon I try to do something other than using it as a consumption device

[Max Norris]

Mm can't agree with some of that list. Of course what's handy for one person is garbage for another, but..

iPad - Well, I don't use iPad's specifically, I'm not a fan of the Apple ecosphere (just isn't my thing), but tablets in general are very handy/convenient. Depends on the usage of course, but for a lot of things it's just a lot easier to carry around than a laptop. Obviously there's some things that just don't work well (if at all) on a tablet. I could fire up an RDP session on my tablet and work with Visual Studio... I could also take a ride in a cement mixer. Probably less painful too. But for other stuff, I love 'em.

Twitter - Hit or miss, again depends on your needs. I personally use it for monitoring various services, weather alerts, miscellaneous stuff like that, convenient as I have a server that bounces the important stuff to my mobile devices so I don't actually have to look at it unless I really need to. I do agree though, there's an awful lot of crap on it as well.

3D HDTV - Meh, I never got into 3D stuff either. Always felt gimmicky. 99% of the time its very badly done and doesn't really add anything to the movie experience in general.

Kinect - Personally, great concept, under utilized (at the moment). Some pretty slick third party stuff being done with it.

Monster - No arguments there, I avoid the Monster brand in general.

[ArialBlue]

I agree with OP.

[John S. Veteran]

Twitter I agree with, huge timewaster to me...worse than FB.

The iPad I'd take issue with. I bought one for my daughter when they first came out, toyed with it a little and let it be. Once she started college last year and we got her a Macbook, she let go of her deathgrip on the iPad and I and my wife have sort of gotten hooked on it.

It will never replace a full fledged PC, but mobile banking, netflix, browsing, gaming...it's really handy. I'm anxious to see if the rumors about a mini ipad are true, I may spring for one of those too.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

To be honest, sounds like the OP is a bit of a luddite or narrow-minded, or worse both.

iPad - I don't own an iPad or any other tablet, but there are certain things that you can do with an iPad which doesn't work nearly as well with a desktop or laptop, things like whilst standing in a train or in a meeting room.

Twitter - I use Twitter a lot but also agree with the fact there is a lot of garbage on there. My organisation uses Twitter a lot, the execs use it, project use it, plus my sports team of choice (and the superfanatical fans with some insider knowledge) use it, my favourite tech-sites (such as NeoWin) use it so it is often the first place I look to get an update on what is going on in the world. Don't publish much myself, but do get involve in the odd conversation.

3D HDTV - Kind of agree with this one - doesn't make sense to me unless the screen is bigger than your field of vision a la IMAX. I guess some people like this, for me it feels fake unless it fills my field of vision.

Kinect - Superb concept - look forward to it hitting my desktop and given some productivity applications. I don't really game.

Monster Beats - Think they don't have the greatest build quality and despite almost pulling the trigger on the over-the-ear version several times, I haven't yet. My Audiophile site of choice, which are serious audiophiles actually rated them 5 stars at first. Since they have been surpassed. I know that is not why most people buy them, but they do have a very decent sound, if a little bass heavy.

[Ambroos]

..then you don't sit in meeting rooms very often and take notes. Having to lug a laptop around or carry a lightweight tablet around- its a no brainer.

For some reason people seem to forget about the existence of lightweight notebooks. I 'lug' a 13" notebook around all day for five days a week for taking notes, for many hours each day. I'd never want to trade it for an iPad or another tablet for one single reason: keyboard. And the difference in weight is really not all that big, I just put mine in a very slim notebook sleeve that doesn't leave my regular-sized messenger bag. Can hardly feel it's there, most of the books I carry with me weigh more and take more space.

The only thing I sort-of disagree on with the OP is Twitter. I don't Tweet a lot at all, hardly ever just a general tweet, but I like it as a means of communication for people who don't live in Belgium (and I can't text) but I don't really know well enough to add to Facebook. General tweeting ("I'm going to do this and then that" or "Look at this fancy blurry pic of food made with instagram") on the other hand is pretty stupid.

[sanctified Veteran]

I've seen a lot of tech services and products that became popular but have very little use for it and here is my list.

1. iPad

2. Twitter

5. Monster's Beats

1.- Try holding a laptop with one hand while checking data from an other source, or giving classes, or operating machinery that requires you to consult a digital manual or database.

You might not have an use for a tablet, but many of us do. It's lighter than a laptop so it's more comfortable for business traveling. It allows you to do serious work in a smaller body, the battery last a lot more. There used to be a time where I would fight with my laptop because it was too bulky and sometimes I gave classes or conferences whee I could not find proper room for a laptop AND a projector. The iPad resolved that. It's the perfect email/browsing/word processing on the go machine.

2.- Maybe your contacts post crap. In my case I've known many interesting social and art uses for twitter, like micro-narrative efforts. Also it's an excellent tool for those of us who had to learn to synthesize our ideas.

5.- How original. Another Beat's basher ;) (This is written by, yes, a Beats user, but also a Marshall and Sennheiser user).

[Ambroos]

5.- How original. Another Beat's basher ;) (This is written by, yes, a Beats user, but also a Marshall and Sennheiser user).

I'm sorry, while Beats aren't 'bad' for people who like a very bass-heavy sound without much clarity and especially without proper mids they're fine. But they're still overpriced (considering their sound quality). You can get better ones (even with a V-shaped sound like the Beats series) for less money. Beats are considered 'bad' by audiophiles because they don't even come close to an accurate representation of sound.

Most Sennheisers for example are more balanced (but still have a bump in bass usually).

[Shane Nokes]

5.- How original. Another Beat's basher ;) (This is written by, yes, a Beats user, but also a Marshall and Sennheiser user).

To be fair..on the price/quality index, Monster stuff doesn't rate all that high. Sure it's decent enough, but not for the price.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

http://www.whathifi.com/review/monster-beats-by-dr-dre

A well regarded hi-fi journal in the UK - reviewed for their audiophile qualities.

[Ambroos]

http://www.whathifi....beats-by-dr-dre

A well regarded hi-fi journal in the UK - reviewed for their audiophile qualities.

What a detailed and clear review. Not.

You might want to check out real reviews. Nobody says these headphones are really bad, but they're so bass-heavy you don't hear anything else properly. And for that lack of clarity they are seriously overpriced. Some people do enjoy that kind of sound, but I can assure you once you heard a proper, balanced, detailed headphone or IEM you'll never go back to a set of Beats.

[sanctified Veteran]

What a detailed and clear review. Not.

You might want to check out real reviews. Nobody says these headphones are really bad, but they're so bass-heavy you don't hear anything else properly.

Funny, couldn't hear you over my Beats solo that play clear and sound (And no, I don't listen only to bass heavy music).

So much for 'real' reviews. I truly detest audiophiles, always trying to tell us that either we're wrong because we spend money on Beats for their design or that we're wrong because he happen to 'gasp' like how they sound. Either way, we're wrong and we should only like what these experts tell us to like. Remind me of that idiot who tried to give me crap because I use Ray-Bans instead of some other 'better' and cheaper alternative.

/rant

[Shane Nokes]

What a detailed and clear review. Not.

You might want to check out real reviews. Nobody says these headphones are really bad, but they're so bass-heavy you don't hear anything else properly. And for that lack of clarity they are seriously overpriced. Some people do enjoy that kind of sound, but I can assure you once you heard a proper, balanced, detailed headphone or IEM you'll never go back to a set of Beats.

To be fair (while it wasn't really a review) it does point out: "They're stylish and solidly made, but we're not sure they quite cut the mustard compared to the best available."

So his review was pointing out that honestly they aren't the best thing made. So you were going off a bit about the point the site he posted was making...it wasn't refuting what we'd said at all ;)

Are they decent? Sure...but not for the price.

Sure how things sound is up to each person...but in all honesty as I've said for the price they just aren't clear enough. I like my bass deep & crisp. The BbD line just doesn't deliver that most of the time.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

To be fair (while it wasn't really a review) it does point out: "They're stylish and solidly made, but we're not sure they quite cut the mustard compared to the best available."

So his review was pointing out that honestly they aren't the best thing made. So you were going off a bit about the point the site he posted was making...it wasn't refuting what we'd said at all ;)

Are they decent? Sure...but not for the price.

Sure how things sound is up to each person...but in all honesty as I've said for the price they just aren't clear enough. I like my bass deep & crisp. The BbD line just doesn't deliver that most of the time.

The point was, in 2008 when they were released they were given 5 stars, which is the best score available. Since then they have been downgraded because better competitors have emerged, but at one point they were amongst the best available for sound quality.

As for the clarity of the review, the site gives a summary of the review that appeared in the magazine. It is still a magazine based business model and naturally not in their interest to cannibalise their back issue revenue stream in the interest of giving a free review to 'them freeloaders on the interwebs'. I do have the full review somewhere, as well as every other issue of this magazine from the last 5 years - I'll dig it up and give it a scan at some point, but right now I can't be bothered.

[Raa]

I can't help but agree with the whole lot.

The iPad is a slight exception. I've always said they're a useless toy, unless you can actually show a dedicated need for one. I've only been able to count up a handful of people that fit that category.

[Arpit]

i actually use my ipad regularly for my daily commute to/from work on the train. it's more portable than a laptop 'coz i carry it in a messenger bag. i do whatever i feel like on it at the time...

- reading books (i specifically like reading on ipad over laptop/actual books because i tend to annotate a lot of stuff),

- watching videos,

- surfing the web,

- quickly replying to any emails that don't require long winded responses (doesn't take me 30 minutes to type 5 sentences).

- when i was working on group projects, i used it extensively to help prepare for our presentation by making notes on the slides (especially when drawing shapes/arrows)

- news reading (pulse, bbc)

i wouldn't say it's useless at all even though i haven't yet used it for content creation purposes

[RiverCampher]

1) People often discount that it's easier to use an iPad than a smaller device, especially if your older and less used to computers. My dad is quite short-sighted and wouldn't be as accurate enough to use a smaller device like an iPhone.

I guess yes, perhaps many people may have bought one because it's cool or faddish but there is a genuine use for them. I know autistic children who benefit considerably from them.

2) Not much to say about Twitter, I do find some feeds amusing. One thing I do like is that it's easier to keep in touch with certain projects I'm interested in rather than visit 10 different websites to see if there are any updates.

3) I have to agree with 3D TV/Film, in it's current state it seems in its infancy. Perhaps future generations of the product with be easier on the eyes (no glasses).

4) Kinect, yeah again like the above really. Funny in parties but not really a serious device to use unless you discount the interesting projects that are using it. I look forward to the next generation of this device. It has potential.

5) Well I've not used a pair so I'm not going to comment on the audio quality. If you spend over ?100/$100 on headphones it's rare that you'll be disappointed unless you compare the whole range. It's sometimes quite difficult to have a comparison in headphones as I only see maybe 3 models in shops on 'demo mode' and rarely are they hooked up to the same music. So yeah, I'm sure most 'go for the brand/style' over an informed choice as it's difficult to make one.

[Manish]

My 5 top popular tech services/products that are really useless for most

Who are you to judge what's useless for most people? I just see a list of "popular tech services/products" that you personally have no use for or are unable to see why others would use them.