The 5 best fake tech products of 2014

If you’re looking for a sign of just how important tech has become in the lives of people everywhere, all you have to do is examine the boom in tech-related satire that we’re experiencing.

Of course, the bottomless list of fake products that get fake releases on April Fool’s Day is well-documented. What many people have missed, however, is that the creation of fake tech products has become a massive, year-round industry that generates trillions of dollars.

Or at least it would do if any of these gadgets were real. Which they aren’t. We think.

In any case, we’ll let others debate whether the fake tech industry is in a bubble. For now, just enjoy this recap of the year that wasn’t in all things fake tech.

1. The Shouting Kindle by The Onion

The Onion has become a fake tech industry leader. This was the year it didn’t release the Kindle that shouts the name of the book you’re reading so people nearby will be impressed by your gravitas.

2. The Smart Pipe by Adult Swim

Adult Swim unleashed an epic, 11-minute infomercial for the “Smart Pipe.” It connects to your toilet to give you a wealth of Big Data about your, well, you know.

3. Carrot by Dan Angelucci

Technically, one could argue that “Carrot” doesn’t qualify as a “fake” product, since carrots were in fact released in abundance this year. But we loved the skewering of tech product releases by Dan Angelucci. Plus, if one was spending their time arguing about the official qualifications for a list of fake products, that would be very, very sad.

4. Pied Piper by HBO’s “Silicon Valley”

There may be no better evidence of a bubble in fake tech products than a whole sitcom about the tech industry produced by HBO. In this case, the fake product is a compression algorithm made by the ill-named Pied Piper that is so good, it inspires fake tech giant Hooli to reverse engineer it to create its own fake competitor, “Nucleus.”

5. Stanx by Saturday Night Live

We offer this without comment. Or judgment. “Thanks, Stanx.”

(If the video isn’t playing, and you’re outside the U.S., try this link.)