13 Technologies that lived their lives, did their work and then took their hats (4 of 4)

The death of YouTube Gaming App

YouTube lets this app of their step foot into the market for the sole purpose of favoring it’s gamer base to live stream videos about gaming and watch them as well. YouTube declared that they were shutting down this app in 2018, due to the ‘confusion’ it created among the users.

Most of the users failed to understand what YouTube gaming app was for, and instead streamed live game videos on the core app, rendering the purpose of the gaming app redundant. YouTube shut down the app in May 2019 and shifted its features into the core app. As of today, it gains way more exposure and usage than the previous one. It’s safe to say that YouTube successfully managed to replaced what they killed with something far better.

Let’s just stick to Facebook, Google

Unlike the other apps, Google’s socializing app called Google Plus was dormant since the start. Launched by Google back in 2015, it failed to create any kind of havoc since the day it was born. Every user who had a Google count automatically had a Google Plus account too, and merging it with other services such as YouTube made it receive a lot of backslashes. It even failed to pose a threat to its competitors such as Facebook. It had tons of users, but no usage whatsoever.

The decision to kill Google Plus was confirmed after the discovery of a bug that exposed the sensitive and personal information of nearly half a million users, to which Google did not give any justification until later. Soon after that, it was discovered that another security bug managed to unveil personal data of another 50 million users, making Google shut this app down for once and for all on 2nd April 2019.

Microsoft Kinect glamorous failure

Microsoft reported in 2019 that it finally decided to discontinue its USB adapter for Kinect, an accessory based on the technology of motion-sensing, introduced as an exclusive line for Xbox One and Xbox 360. The Kinetic initially proved itself to be a huge haul among hackers who sought after experiences that tracked body movements and sensed depths.

Even though Microsoft planned to roll it out when the Xbox One decided to launch itself, it didn’t quite pay off in the long run due to its ever glitchy technology, it’s overpriced worth and incompetent games. Everyone could foresee the shutdown, especially when Microsoft decided to remove the USB port from Xbox One consoles. By 2013, Microsoft finally threw the last spadeful of dirt on Kinetic.

Windows Phones and their lifeless existence

We can’t deny that this phone was the slickest, smoothest Operating System once upon a time. It had every ounce of capability in itself to throw a tough battle on its oppositions- Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. The reason for this OS’s failure was mostly due to its inability to partner with third-party apps. Instagram still wasn’t an entrant on its apps list, while it had already started creating a staggering hype in iOS and Android. Windows phones did not have any partnership with YouTube either- our go-to app since eternity.

There weren’t many steady developments that were introduced either, so the company decided to dig this app’s grave and stated that it would rather focus on improving and improvising it’s present collaborations instead. Windows 10 still manages to sustain, but with no solid user interface or developments whatsoever. Windows phones till 8.1 were shut down on 19th December 2019.

But even though these apps have all been buried a while ago, they’re gone for good. None of their departures managed to create a void in people, mostly because of the various other apps such as Instagram WhatsApp or Snapchat that replaced them with better features and interface and came out victorious. We certainly don’t want an app where we could only send Yo’s to a person, or take pictures without filters or an audacious caption (who takes pictures without filters these days anyway?). These technologies had a dramatic advent, basked in their utmost glory, and walked out the door of death eventually.