Tech Losers of the '00s

It’s been an amazing decade for technology, but not everyone came out ahead. CrunchGear considers the big losers of the '00s, starting with the biggest: Brick and mortar retailers. Once consumers learned to trust online merchants, lots of stores—we’re looking at you Circuit City and CompUSA—went the way of the dodo, driven out by the lower prices and long-tail advantages of the Internet. So they’re the biggest losers. Runners-up:

• Motorola: Remember when the RAZR was the hottest phone out there? Didn't think so.
• RIAA/MPAA: “These stodgy litigious institutions continue to dig their grave.” Instead of taking advantage of the revolution in distribution technology, they sued the audience.
• AOL: Couldn’t manage to remake itself as a powerful brand, because everyone knew it represented the “corporate-controlled, content-locked, closely monitored Internet that the big guys would just love to foist on us.”
• Honorable Mentions: Internet Explorer, HD DVD, satellite radio, and print media.

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