Top 20 Products That KILLED Competitors
#20: Spotify
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Killed: CDs
Gone are the days of forking up money to try out a new band on CD, only to discover you don’t like their style. That was how we did it in the 90s and early 2000s. But with the advent of Napster in 1999, a new way of thinking was established - what if we could share and access music online. Huge, mainstream music streaming services didn’t come until years later, but when it did, it represented a much simpler and cheaper way to access your favorite, and unknown, music. In store CD purchases have fallen drastically, replaced by subscriptions to online streaming platforms - Spotify being the most popular as of 2023.
#19: Digital Word Processors
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Killed: Typewriter
Okay, so typewriters are arguably much cooler than computers. But they’re also far less practical, in pretty much every single way. Back in the 1970s, the first word processors came about, leading some typists to make the digital switch. By the 1980s, MacWrite on the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Word on the IBM PC were in full swing, which spelled the beginning of the end for the humble typewriter. And with the invention of super slim, super portable laptop-style computers, typewriters were all but wiped out - except for maybe in prisons, certain government buildings and hipster’s apartments.
#18: IBM
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Killed: Commodore
Speaking of computers, here’s another retro blast from the past. There was a time when Commodore stood tall. From its establishment in 1954, Commodore International made a name for itself in the production of home computers, from the Commodore PET () to the Commodore 64. Unfortunately, its rival company IBM made strides in developing computing technology further than ever before, while Commodore was increasingly seen in the 1980s as the producers of cheap and disposable hardware. IBM’s constant evolution and rising profits, coupled with Commodore’s existing troubles, may very well have lead to the latter company’s bankruptcy in 1994.
#17: LCD Screens
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Killed: CRT Screens
Up until the early-to-mid 2000s, bulky, cathode ray tube tvs were still very much staples in homes all over the world. And they still have their place today, especially with retro gamers who praise their superior contrast ratio and high refresh rates. However, LCD, plasma and OLED displays pretty much wiped out CRT screens from the mainstream in the space of about 10 years, and it’s easy to see why. They’re slimmer and lighter, consume less power, have a longer lifespan and don’t suffer from the dreaded CRT image burn in, which would leave permanent discoloration on the screen, if an image was left on-screen long enough. Ah, memories.
#16: Apple iPod
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Killed: MP3 Player
Although the iPod was effectively just another MP3 player, it really wasn’t just another MP3 player. The first iPod was introduced in 2001, and it had a better user interface and a sleeker build than conventional MP3 players. It also had the ability to store up to 1,000 songs - which at the time, was mind-blowing. It also helped form an entire Apple ecosystem along with iTunes, allowing users to seamlessly purchase and listen to music on the go. Once people got a taste for the iPod, other MP3 players felt like antiques. Of course, 20 years later, the iPod would cease to exist, due to advancements with the iPhone - more on that later.
#15:Call of Duty
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Killed: Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor series was absolutely untouchable in the WW2 first person shooter game franchise. That was until Call of Duty joined the party. Call of Duty had some solid first entries focussing on WW2. In fact, its first installment was codenamed “Medal of Honor killer” before its release. But it was the shift to modern warfare that really knocked Medal of Honor off its perch. And Call of Duty’s legendary multiplayer was the final nail in the coffin. In fact, as of this video, there hasn’t been a significant Medal of Honor game released for almost 15 years. Search and Destroy indeed.
#14: Dell
Killed: Gateway
The world of computer technology can definitely be a heated one. Such was the case with the conflict between Dell and Gateway, two companies competing for the computer hardware market in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While Gateway buckled under the effects of the dot-com bust, Dell thrived with its embrace of direct sales and customizing one’s PC to fit the consumer’s intent. Struggling to compete, Gateway scaled back its operations further and further. It’s at once sad and fascinating.
#13: Transformers
Killed: GoBots
Sometimes success can be a fleeting thing. Take for instance the GoBots line of transforming toy robots, introduced in 1983 by Tonka, the year before Hasbro launched the Transformers brand of toys. Despite being similar in design and themes, the Transformers proved to be the more enduring toy line while sales dropped for the Gobots after initial success. In the end, Tonka ceased production in 1987... four years before Hasbro would buy the Gobots brand altogether, integrating them into the Transformers franchise.
#12: Internet Explorer
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Killed: Netscape
There was nothing quite like the browser wars of yore. In the 1990s, the world saw an influx of Internet browsers – with two of the most competitive being Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. For several years Netscape and Microsoft updated their respective browsers at a breakneck pace, though Microsoft’s greater resources and decision to make Internet Explorer free for Windows users eventually gave them the victory. Though Netscape’s browser code still lives on through Mozilla Firefox, it’s clear that Internet Explorer won its place in history.
#11: Uber
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Killed: Taxi Cabs
The Uber ride-hailing service was born out of frustration, with its founders looking for new ways to make transport more affordable and more readily available. The app-based service allows users to hail a cab quickly and easily from wherever they are. Add to that the fact that Uber employs drivers, who use their own vehicles, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster, at least from the point of view of traditional cab drivers. Like everything nowadays, Uber is about convenience, which has unfortunately led those that would usually seek out a cab on a street corner, or by phone, to look elsewhere. And Uber isn’t the only one - with the likes of Lyft also contributing to the demise of the trusty cabby.
#10: Gmail
Killed: Hotmail
With the dust settled, Google’s electronic mail service stands tall. Yet this was not always the case; its competitor Hotmail, established in 1996 as one of the world’s first webmail providers, had a foothold for quite some time. Sporting integration with Microsoft-owned programs and being free to use, Hotmail certainly stood out... until April 1st, 2004, when Google Inc launched their simply titled Gmail service. With its more flexible interface, greater amount of storage space, and general polish, Gmail rose in popularity and left Hotmail to be slowly phased out.
#9: Smartphone Camera
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Killed: Digital Camera
Cameras have always had their place – but the technology has seen its share of conflict. With the advent of the smartphone, people have taken to its plethora of features, including cameras with increasing quality of images. Thus, the digital camera has been overcome, in spite of being known for high-quality photography. It’s said that, from 2012 to 2013, smartphone sales rose to over 1 billion, while digital camera shipments fell by around 30%. It would seem the market has spoken.
#8: DVD
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Killed: VHS
We could have picked various different movie format battles for this list - Betamax vs VHS, DVD vs Blu-ray - but the VHS and DVD rivalry was arguably the most significant. VHS ruled the roost for about 30 years - but when DVDs rose to prominence in the early 2000s, their clearer picture, compact size and clever menu functionality, made the mass switch to DVD inevitable. Movie fans adapted their home collections, video stores loaded up on DVDs, and eventually, VHS was left in the dust - or at least left stacked up in garages and closets everywhere.
#7: Ballpoint Pens
Killed: Fountain Pens
We take for granted how easy it is to quickly grab a pen and write something down. And that’s thanks to the ballpoint pen. Before the ballpoint pen we had to rely on dip pens, or at best, fountain pens - and they could only write on certain surfaces. The first patent for the ballpoint pen actually dates all the way back to 1888, but it wasn't until László Bíró filed a patent in 1938 that the ballpoint pen as we know it was on its way to achieving commercial success. By the 50s and 60s, the classic ink-in-a-tube pen was mainstream, and so the more impractical quills and fountain pens were relegated to the pen pot - reserved only for fanciful calligraphy.
#6: Amazon Kindle
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Killed: Paperback Books
The Amazon Kindle e-reader is to books what the iPod was to MP3 players. Sure, it does the same thing, except it doesn’t, it does it better - in most ways anyway. The first Kindle was released in 2007 and it represented a new way to read and listen to books, with storage for up to 200 titles. This changed the way people read at home, on public transport and of course, on holiday. And since 2007 there have been tons of new and improved Kindle iterations - giving you a literal bookshop worth of titles at your fingertips. But let’s be real, books will never go away. Although the tradition of going to a local bookshop for a browse has likely changed forever.
#5: Tesla
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Killed: The Luxury Car Market
A bold claim? Maybe, but not really when you look at the figures. Brands like BMW, Mercedes and Lexus have had a solid foothold in the US car market for a long time. But over the last few years, the eco-centric car brand Tesla has accelerated past its competition and actually outsold its German and Japanese rivals by a pretty hefty margin. The combination of opulence, coolness and electric power seems to have won over those seeking a luxurious ride, and Tesla is looking stronger and more advanced every year, signifying a possible transition to an all-electric car market.
#4: PlayStation 2
Killed: Sega Dreamcast
Sony and Sega – both innovators, both participants in the console wars. Sega’s final home console would be the Dreamcast, built to cut costs and contrast its more expensive predecessor, the Sega Saturn. While the Dreamcast started out with a strong launch in America in the late ‘90s, the public’s interest in the system soon faded... replaced by growing fixation on the then-upcoming Sony PlayStation 2. Sony’s eventual embrace of third-party developers and general financial security contrasted Sega’s financial losses and limited third-party support, leading the PS2 to succeed where the Dreamcast could not.
#3: Netflix
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Killed: Blockbuster
Farewell, rental stores, your time has passed. Once upon a time, video rental chains such as Blockbuster cornered the market in terms of providing people with films, television and other media. However, that all changed with the 1997 founding of Netflix, initially a video rental service that transitioned into media streaming. The ease of viewing films and TV on Netflix, matched by a reasonable service fee, ensured the downfall of traditional rental outlets – including Blockbuster’s liquidation as of 2014.
#2: Facebook
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Killed: MySpace
Two social media services enter, one service leaves. Acquired by News Corporation in 2005, Myspace stood tall as the world’s largest social networking site for three years, even briefly surpassing Google as the most visited website in America. That all changed with the rising appeal of Facebook, which was based around fulfilling of the desires and demands of users rather than sticking to a firm “portal” strategy. Contrasting with Myspace’s owner-mandated planning, this looser approach served Facebook well; their worldwide visitor count rose, while Myspace’s user count steadily shrank.
#1: Apple iPhone
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Killed: Blackberry
Though the iPod’s triumph over MP3 players is still monumental, the iPhone’s success is on a whole other level. For several years, Blackberry’s multipurpose devices had a strong foothold in the market, particular with their focus on email services. Yet when Apple’s iPhone device came on the scene with its sleeker interface and higher quality of design, Blackberry struggled to compete. While they did make efforts to challenge Apple, Blackberry’s share in the market fell while Apple rose to prominence. Truly, there can be only one.
So, what competition-killing product interests you? Let us know in the comments below!
