In Memoriam: The tech that died in 2024

Another year is coming to a close. As we say goodbye to 2024, let us take a moment to remember the tech that won't be continuing on with us into 2025.

As it goes with the passing of time, tech products that were once shiny and new have been rendered obsolete. Others lived short lives at the expense of companies pivoting to different, more lucrative goals. On that note, the generative AI boom shows no signs of slowing down.This year's AI offerings highlighted the challenges of finding killer use cases that deliver genuine, transformative technology that, at best, provide minor productivity gains and, at worst, create frustrating inaccuracies.

Some AI tech gadgets like the Humane AI pin and the Rabbit R1 simply fell flat, unable to provide the bare minimum of reliable features, let alone something revolutionary. However, you won't see them on this list because they're technically still alive, albeit on life support.

Instead we've rounded up the most noteworthy tech deaths that have officially departed this world. Join us as we look back and reflect on their impact, whether it was significant, trivial, or downright baffling (looking at you, Meta).

Google Jamboard and Google Podcasts

It wouldn't be a tech death roundup without some entries from Google. The tech giant is notorious for ambitiously launching new products, only to ruthlessly cut them down a few years later. This year, Google Jamboard and Google Podcasts were on the chopping block. 

Google Jamboard was a whiteboard device and accompanying app for Google Workspace users to collaborate on projects in an interactive, scrapbook-esque way. Back in 2016, Mashable said it "makes collaborative work feel like playtime." But in September 2023, Google announced it would be winding down Jamboard by the end of 2024. Instead, Google said it would integrate Google Workspace with third-party partners FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid Software, and the visual workspace Miro for its collaborative whiteboard tools. 

It's not proper to speak ill of the dead, but discontinuing Google Podcasts kind of makes sense. Google announced it would be sunsetting the standalone podcast-hosting app this year and migrate its listeners over to YouTube Music. 

It's a logical choice given consumers' listening habits. "According to Edison, about 23 percent of weekly podcast users in the US say YouTube is their most frequently used service, versus just 4 percent for Google Podcasts," said the Google announcement. Plus, forcing users to listen to podcasts on YouTube Music means more eyeballs for ad revenue and subscriptions to the premium version, which costs $11 a month.

And that's not even all the stuff Google killed this year. In 2024, we also said goodbye to Chromecast, VPN by Google One, DropCam, and Keen. If you want to pay your respects, we recommend visiting the Google Graveyard.

Meta AI celebrity avatars

Another year, another installment of Meta missing the mark with technology that no one asked for. This time it was a confusing collection of AI personas that used the likenesses of celebrities, that weren't even AI versions of those celebrities. Instead we got Kendall Jenner as an AI bestie, Tom Brady as a fitness guru, and bafflingly, Snoop Dogg as a Dungeon Master for Dungeons and Dragons. 

Despite reportedly paying millions of dollars per celebrity to license their likenesses, the investment did not pay off.  After launching at Meta Connect in September 2023, Meta scrapped the AI personas in August 2024. The company didn't provide any reasoning for its decision to discontinue the feature, but the AI personas never gained much traction based on their follower count. 

So you're no longer able to chat with a bot that has Kendall Jenner as its profile picture and a vaguely similar influencer girly vibe. But don't worry, we still have Meta AI's celebrity voices, so at least these AI voices are clones of who they claim to be? As ever, we remain confused with Meta's strategic vision.

Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro

Old versions replaced by new and improved ones are part of the tech gadget lifecycle. But saying goodbye to the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro VR headsets was a tough loss. In its place, Meta introduced us to the Quest 3S, which combines Quest 2 and Quest Pro specs like full-color passthrough and XR capabilities, thereby making the older devices more or less obsolete. In a stirring eulogy, Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry wrote: 

While the Quest 2 wasn't the first VR headset to work without a powerful gaming PC (obviously, there was a Quest 1), its sub-$500 price tag (which included controllers) at launch in 2019 made it an incredibly appealing option for the VR-curious. 

For many, the Quest 2 may have provided their first VR experience. The Quest Pro never seemed to catch on quite as much, most likely due to its $1,499 price tag, but its full-color passthrough and AR features felt ahead of their time.

Alas, such is the cycle of life. But the Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be remembered for bringing VR headsets to the masses, which is more than can be said for the Apple Vision Pro.

Kindle Oasis

As far as e-readers go, the Kindle Oasis had a good long life. Amazon launched the Kindle Oasis in 2016 with a thicker edge on one side that housed physical buttons to turn the pages. 

The design gave users a convenient way to hold the e-reader without obscuring or accidentally tapping the screen, and the buttons provided a pleasing tactility. But by this year, it was the only device in the Kindle lineup that had physical buttons, which seems to signal imminent death for tech gadgets. "Once current inventory of Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will not restock the device," Amazon confirmed to The Verge this October. "Today, all of our devices are touch-forward, which is what our customers are comfortable with." 

Kindle Oasis users took to Reddit to express their grief. "Bought my Oasis when it was released solely for the page turn buttons and can't imagine living without them," said one Redditor. "I'm just not buying another Kindle without page turn buttons. It's a deal breaker for me," said another. But for Amazon. it's RIP buttons. Long live touch screens.

Jabra Elite earbuds

This was the year Jabra succumbed to the highly competitive earbud market. This past June, Jabra's parent company GN announced that it would be "winding down its Elite and Talk product lines." Jabra's lineup of Elite wireless earbuds regularly made "best of" lists for sound quality, usability, and features like noise cancellation. They were also more budget-friendly compared to premium earbuds from brands like Apple and Bose.

Jabra was one of the first companies to start making wireless earbuds. But as CEO of GN Store Nord Peter Karlstromer said, "the markets… have changed over time." Simply put, competing in a saturated market has become too costly. 

However, Jabra isn't going away for good. Instead it will focus on OTC hearing aids, gaming, and office communication products lines; markets where Jabra has stronger positions. But it's the end of the line for Jabra's consumer-focused audio tech.

Apple Pay Later

Apple Pay Later didn't last long in this world. The BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) tool launched in October 2023, but was shut down less than a year later. Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac saying "we will no longer offer Apple Pay Later in the U.S." 

Apple Pay Later was only available in the U.S., which suggests it never gained much traction. But it's likely that the company found it more practical to offer installment loans through third-party services rather than managing microloans directly — exactly the approach Apple has recently adopted. Instead of the self-funded Pay Later model, Apple now offers the ability to apply for "installment loans" through participating banks and lenders like Affirm and Klarna. 

So Apply Pay Later is dead, but its replacement is more or less the same for users.