# This Is The Worst Cell Phone of All Time Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iKftxOABc0 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/6iKftxOABc0 Generated: 2026-01-21T20:05:48.744+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The Microsoft Kin, intended as the next generation of social phone for younger users, failed catastrophically due to being killed just weeks after launch, selling fewer than 10,000 units, being too expensive, lacking essential smartphone features like an app store, and being tied to a restrictive, costly Verizon data plan. **Key Points:** - Microsoft killed the Kin product line less than two months after its April 2010 launch due to catastrophic failure. - Fewer than 10,000 Kin devices were sold, despite Microsoft spending approximately $1 billion developing the platform, which was based on Windows CE and acquired from Danger, the makers of the Sidekick. - The Kin's core feature, Kin Studio, aggregated social media feeds from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter into a single timeline, but it lacked compatibility with Microsoft's Marketplace for Mobile and had no third-party application store. - The required Verizon service plan was expensive, demanding a mandatory two-year contract with minimum monthly charges of $40 for calling, $30 for data, and $20 for unlimited texting. - The Kin One retailed for $150 and the Kin Two for $200 (before mail-in rebates), making them significantly more expensive than contemporary budget phones, though cheaper than iPhones of the era ($200–$300). - Early reviews were largely negative, calling the device one of the worst devices to reach the market, and the marketing itself was pulled after complaints it encouraged 'sexting' among teens. ![Screenshot at 00:04: The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 21, 2010, is used as a visual metaphor for a different major disaster happening concurrently in tech: the failure of the Microsoft Kin.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-00-04.jpg) **Context:** The video examines the short, spectacular failure of the Microsoft Kin, a line of social-focused mobile phones launched in the spring of 2010, which aimed to capture the younger, social-networking-obsessed demographic. Developed by Microsoft's Danger division (creators of the T-Mobile Sidekick), the Kin phones were designed to seamlessly integrate social media updates into a central feed called Kin Studio. However, the product was launched into a rapidly evolving smartphone market dominated by the iPhone and Android, and its fate was sealed by poor sales, high plan costs, missing features, and controversial marketing. ## Detailed Analysis The video details the failure of the Microsoft Kin phones, launched in Spring 2010, which were intended to be the 'next generation of social phone' targeting younger users. Microsoft spent about $1 billion developing the Kin, which was based on technology acquired from Danger (creators of the Sidekick). The Kin's key feature, Kin Studio, aggregated data from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter into a single chronological feed, accessible via a web browser. However, the device was fundamentally flawed: it used a proprietary OS based on Windows CE, lacked a third-party application store, and could not run apps from Microsoft's Marketplace. The pricing structure was also burdensome; the Kin One cost $150 and the Kin Two $200 (before rebates), and they required a mandatory, expensive two-year Verizon plan costing at least $90 per month ($40 for calling, $30 for data, $20 for texting). The phone was killed only six weeks after its May 14 launch after selling fewer than 10,000 units, according to some reports (with one source citing an actual number as low as 503 active users). Furthermore, the initial advertising was controversial, leading to its withdrawal due to parental complaints that it encouraged 'sexting.' Ultimately, the Kin team was absorbed into the Windows Phone 7 development, and the product line was abandoned. ### Launch and Concept - The Kin One and Kin Two launched on April 12, 2010, aimed at the younger social networking crowd; Kin Studio aggregated data from Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace into a chronological feed. ### Fatal Flaws - The phones lacked a third-party application environment (no app store compatibility) and ran a proprietary platform based on Windows CE, making them less versatile than competitors like the iPhone. ### Pricing and Carrier Issues - The Kin devices were priced at $150 and $200, but required an expensive mandatory two-year Verizon plan ($40 calling, $30 data, $20 texting minimums). ### Sales and Cancellation - After only six weeks, Microsoft pulled the plug; reports circulated that only 500 units were sold, though other data suggested up to 8,810 active users existed on the Facebook app alone. ### Marketing Backlash - The initial advertising, which showed teens sharing pictures, was pulled after complaints it encouraged 'sexting' among teens. ### Aftermath - Microsoft integrated the Kin team into the Windows Phone 7 group, scrapping future Kin development, while Verizon stuck with its expensive mandatory plan. ![Screenshot at 00:04: The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 21, 2010, used to illustrate the catastrophic failure of the Kin launch.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-00-04.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:15: The Microsoft logo is shown behind the Kin phone with money raining down, symbolizing the $1 billion investment that failed.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-00-15.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:55: The Kin interface is displayed, showing the aggregated feed of communications \(Texts, Calls, E-Mails, Social posts\) from Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-00-55.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:37: A young girl counting coins next to an empty wallet illustrates the high cost of the required monthly service plan for the Kin.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-01-37.jpg) ![Screenshot at 03:09: A comparison of the Kin One \($150, $110 post-rebate\) and Kin Two \($200, $160 post-rebate\) initial pricing after mail-in rebates.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6iKftxOABc0/00-03-09.jpg)