The Associated Press rounds up the crappiest gadgets at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which range from dangerous in-car touchscreens to privacy-violating AI snake oil. Respected audio maker Sennheiser junking out on its latest earbuds is among the more prosaic failures of high capitalism this year.
German audio electronics-maker Sennheiser showcased the fourth generation of its Momentum True Wireless ear headphones, which are usually known to last for a while. But iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens says the latest $300 earbuds are a "betrayal of the brand" because they're too disposable, with three separate batteries that will likely fail after a few years and can't easily be replaced."Start by selling batteries and releasing repair instructions," he wrote. "Then work on making the battery easier to swap."Sennheiser didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of the forthcoming miseries was new to me, and I'm eager to see this gadget in the wild: shopping carts with screens in the handles. What are they for? You know what they are for: they shall blare ads at you while you walk around stores. Ads for the products you are near! Wouldn't you like Kerrygold? Put the Kerrygold butter in the cart. I sense that you have placed the Kerrygold butter in the cart. Perhaps you'd like to spread it on Dave's Killer Bread. Go forward eight meters. Turn right. There it is. Who have you told about Windows 95?
Previously: What it's like at CES (2012):
"When dusk falls, the parties begin, private events where the bars are open and the doors tightly shut. For reporters, these may be the only chance to interview key executives or check out new gadgets away from the show-floor hubbub. For the business people, a lot of CES wheeling and dealing happens likewise, the old-fashioned way, over blackjack and booze and behind closed doors."
