#RIP: 10 Products That Were Discontinued in 2012 1. Apple White MacBook Although actually discontinued in 2011, 2012 was the year the white #MacBook got the official "End of Life" status. Popular with students, the white MacBook had been the budget option for #Apple users since 2006. 2. Dell Venue / #VenuePro #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. 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. 4. Apple iPad 3 Somewhat controversially, Apple introduced a new #iPad just six months after the latest gen was released. As the iPad 4 became the new flagship Apple #tablet complete with a new #processor , better battery life and upgraded #cameras , the iPad 3 became obsolete. 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. 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. 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 ." 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 . 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 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." http://mashable.com/2012/12/22/discontinued-gadgets-2012/?
