Product launched at $800 in 1994 dollars
The Sony Magic Link, powered by General Magic's technology, debuted in fall 1994 at a price of $800 in 1990s dollars.
Snapshot · Planet Money
We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail?
Explore episode
Jun 26, 2026
Where this was said
The Dream Becomes a Problem: Years Pass, Nothing Ships
At 11:49 · chapter starts 10:20
Tony Fadell describes the slow dawning of dread as month after month passed without a shippable product. He trusted his more experienced colleagues — they'd done this before, surely they knew when something was ready. But twelve months slipped into eighteen, then thirty-two. Four years after starting, they finally had something to show the world. In fall 1994, General Magic's leaders held a splashy launch event for the Sony Magic Link — a mini tablet with a touchscreen, app selection, and an $800 price tag in 1990s dollars. [1] — Tony Fadell "Tony Fadell trusted that his experienced leaders knew when the product would ship. Then 12 months passed. Then 18. Then 32. The device that…" 10:08 It could send faxes, track checks, and play Solitaire. But it came with a 200-page manual. And it lacked the one thing it was supposed to be: a phone. Fewer than 3,000 units sold, mostly to friends and family of the magicians themselves.
4 years to ship, still no phone feature
What was supposed to ship in 12 to 18 months took General Magic over four years, and the final product still lacked a working phone — its most basic promised feature.
Under 3,000 MagicLinks sold
Fewer than 3,000 Sony MagicLink devices were sold, mostly to family and friends of General Magic employees, making it one of Silicon Valley's biggest flops.
David Epstein's Theory: Too Much Is the Problem
Journalist David Epstein spent years researching what makes creative people and organizations succeed. His counterintuitive finding: too much talent, too much time, and too many resources produce spectacular failures. General Magic is his best case study.
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