Olivetti Envision

1995-1996

In the early 1990s, home computers were turning into capable multimedia entertainment systems. But they were ugly and bulky, and most people hid them away far from the living room television. The Italian computer manufacturer Olivetti attempted to change that with the Envision. The computer was unusually stylish. To appeal to people not used to computers, it was designed to look like a video cassette recorder. The Envision, however, was too expensive and suffered from software bugs and limited upgrades. Olivetti had the right idea, but the Envision was ahead of it time. After this failure, the company left the computer business.

Additional info:
Wikipedia
Obscurevideogamesystems – The Olivetti Envision
Reuters – How Italy became a submerging economy