7 epic gadget flops

Microsoft (MSFT) resurfaces on this list thanks to its current line of tablets, which mark another unsuccessful effort to break into an Apple-dominated product category.

The Redmond-based company has even been offering iPad and Macbook owners hundreds of dollars in Microsoft store credits if they swap out their Apple devices in favor of the Surface, but so far that hasn't been much help. Microsoft booked a stunning $900 million write-down last year on unsold Surface inventory, and Computerworld estimates that that loss had ballooned to $1.7 billion as of June.

Adding insult to injury, Microsoft reportedly paid $400 million to the NFL to showcase the Surface on the slidelines during games -- and the announcers still have managed to call them "iPads" on several occasions.