What happened to hoverboards? | Version History

From The Verge.

In 2015, self-balancing scooters (which quickly became known as hoverboards) exploded in popularity, and then began literally exploding. Andrew Hawkins and Sean O’Kane join David Pierce to explore the multiple conflicting origin stories behind the hugely popular rideable, the many knockoffs, and why a device that doesn’t actually hover ended up being called "hoverboard." #VersionHistory #Podcast #Technology

This is the first episode of our new show: Version History. Each week, a panel of hosts will tell the story of a gadget, app, website, widget, or any other thing that anyone ever shipped or sold or at least said they’d eventually ship or sell. New episodes every Sunday.

00:00 Intro
00:50 First impressions of hoverboards
04:11 The “last mile” craze
06:17 Beginning of the “Hovertrax”
12:43 Blueprint goes viral
15:13 Celebrity birth of Hoverboards
19:30 Hoverboards start exploding
24:06 The safety concerns
32:40 Where hoverboards are now
35:16 Riding “real” hoverboards
39:22 What’s a better name?
42:49 The SHANE
45:22 Q1. What was the best thing?
47:48 Q2. What was the worst thing?
49:42 Q3. Would it have been a bigger hit if Apple had made it?
51:04 Q4. What would you do differently?
53:49 Q5. Which aspect would you keep?
55:28 Q6. Is there another timeline where this was successful?
57:36 Q7. Could it make a comeback today?
59:08 Q8. Version History Hall of Fame

Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs
Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc
Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61
Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLvX
Follow on TikTok: http://bit.ly/42VeCVU

Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg
The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ
Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc
More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts

Read More: http://www.theverge.com
Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv
Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr
Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc

Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S

Subscribe to The Vergecast on YouTube, new episodes on Tuesday and Friday: https://bit.ly/3I6nJtz

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://www.theverge.com/ethics-state…