R.I.P.: 10 Products That Were Discontinued in 2012

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2. 2. Dell Venue/Venue Pro

   Dell exited the smartphone market in 2012 with the March announcement that it would no longer offer the "Venue" Windows smartphones, stating it had reached "End of Life." The phones had suffered technical issues during their brief period of availability.

   Image courtesy of Dell

   

3. 3. Amazon Kindle DX

   Amazon quietly killed off its biggest e-reader in late 2012. The 9.7-inch DX, aimed at students, was dropped from the Kindle lineup. While Amazon never commented on the decision, it's thought that sales of the large device had never been strong since its 2009 launch.

   Image courtesy of Amazon

   

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5. 5. Logitech Squeezebox

   This year has seen the end of the Logitech Squeezebox connected music platform. The company is replacing it with its UE Smart Radio service, which existing Squeezebox users can upgrade to if they wish.

   Image courtesy of Logitech

   

6. 6. Apple iPhone 3GS

   The third-gen iPhone, launched back in 2009, remained in production until 2012. When Apple announced the launch of the iPhone 5, however, it retired the best-selling handset from its iPhone lineup.

   Image courtesy of Apple

   

7. 7. Motorola Webtop

   Webtop was a combo of software and hardware that allowed a phone to dock into and run a lightweight laptop. With a too-high price and too niche functionality, Webtop was killed off in 2012. Motorola said, "While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices."

   Image courtesy of Motorola

   

8. 8. Apple 17-Inch MacBook Pro

   First introduced in 2003 into the PowerBook range, Apple's mammoth 17-inch laptop got the chop in mid-2012, leaving 13- and 15-inch screen sizes as the only two choices for anyone looking for a portable Mac.

   Image courtesy of Apple

   

9. 9. Asus Eee PC Netbooks

   Once a game-changer in the consumer computing market, Asus will stop manufacture of its Eee PC netbooks. Asustek CEO Jerry Shen confirmed in September that future production will focus on tablets.

   Image courtesy of Asus

   

10. 10. Google Nexus Q

    The "world's first social media streamer" never quite made it onto shop shelves this year, although we could see it in 2013. At the time Google pulled the device, a spokesperson said, "We also heard initial feedback from users that they want Nexus Q to do even more than it does today. In response, we have decided to postpone the consumer launch of Nexus Q while we work on making it even better."

    Image courtesy of Google

    

This year, quite a few products disappeared from the market, as technology inevitably marches on. Whether they got pulled for being faulty or just weren't commercially successful, these 10 examples have virtually expired.

Take a look through the gallery, above, for the 10 products we've chosen to highlight. Share in the comments, below, any other gadgetry you've noted that has been removed from shop shelves in the last 12 months.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Apple