In Pictures: The 10 worst tech screwups of 2012 (so far)

Among a bounty of flops, flubs, and faceplants, Cringely picks tech's 10 biggest blunders we've seen in the first half of the year

2. Patent absurdity

If at times it seemed this past spring that the tech industry had been taken over by an insane patent attorney posse, that's because it was. Facebook and Yahoo, Apple and Samsung, Oracle and Google -- the list feels endless. It seems even the judges have had enough. In June, federal judge Richard Posner canceled a trial between Motorola and Apple, calling Motorola's claims "ridiculous" and Apple's filings "frivolous" and ultimately dismissed the case with extreme prejudice. Now if we could just get the other 3,300 federal judges to follow his lead, we might be onto something.

3 of 11
VIEW ALL THUMBNAILS

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
Google Wallet makes payments possible through Gmail

Best Deals on PCWorld

NotebooksView all »
TabletsView all »
Mobile PhonesView all »
Printers & ScannersView all »
Networking, Wireless & VoIPView all »

rhs_login_lockSign up to PC World Today for the latest news, reviews and galleries from PC World Australia.