*By Conor White* Every year as if on rotation, tech rumors soar ー but many promises fail to launch. As part of our 2018 Cheddar Awards, we're honoring the tech innovations that never materialized, and the rumors that caused our hopes to rise, then fall almost as quickly. **Lyft's Silent Cars** Lyft had some hoping they'd never have to speak to another human being again ー not even their driver. Back in July, the ridesharing company's head of autonomous driving revealed the company had been experimenting with a "zen mode," which would allow riders to request that their driver remain totally silent. The feature never launched, which is either good or bad news, depending on your people skills. **Spotify Device** In February, Spotify ($SPOT) led some users to believe it was ready to release some new hardware. Several customers reported they received an offer for a new device that would accompany a $12.99 per month subscription plan. A photo even surfaced at one point, depicting a circular dongle for cars. While this device is still nowhere to be found, Spotify registered with the FCC in June, a key step to getting devices approved for use in the U.S. We'll call this one half a rumor. **AirPods 2.0** As always, plenty of rumors flew about Apple. One of the most talked about was a new version of the giant's highly-successful AirPods. But two years after the cordless headphones were first released, we still don't have AirPods 2.0. Several reports also pointed to a new iPhone SE, the last "small" iPhone left. But Apple continued to move in the other direction, revealing the iPhone XS Max back in September, the biggest iPhone yet. **No More Twitter Likes?** Social media didn't like this one. The Telegraph reported in late October Twitter would be getting rid of the "like" button in an effort to improve communication. The rumor got so much attention, Twitter eventually had to release a statement saying it had no immediate plans to make the change. That tweet racked up nearly 4,000 likes, by the way. **HQ2** No subject sparked more rumors than Amazon's yearlong search for HQ2. Almost 250 cities submitted applications, while internet sleuths scavenged any detail they could find to predict where the company would land. Some clues turned out to be dead ends ー AT&T was supposedly moving out of an Atlanta skyscraper to make room for Amazon ($AMZN) ー but others were prescient, like an article on an Arlington, Va.-centric website getting tons of traffic directly from IP addresses inside Amazon's Seattle headquarters. Of course, Amazon wound up stunning almost everyone by picking two areas that needed its business the least: Arlington, Va., and Long Island City in Queens, New York. 2019 will no doubt bring plenty of newsworthy rumors, but remember: when you're trying to assess the validity of a rumor, recall that [Amazon built a microwave you could talk to in 2018](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/amazons-new-slate-of-alexa-products). So anything is possible. **Find all the 2018 Cheddar Awards [here](https://www.cheddar.com/tags/cheddar-awards).**

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Load More