2014 April Fools Roundup

People do a lot of silly things on the Internet to celebrate April Fools Day each year. In fact, we here at Grassroots Online do not launch anything into the world on April 1st, lest the product in question gets mixed up with all of the other madness that pops up online.

The tech industry in general absolutely loves April Fools Day and many of the bigger brands (Google, Tumblr, Reddit, Samsung, LinkedIn, Nokia, Kickstarter) are all participating. Some observers see these stunts as a way to blunt public criticism if/when they do something unpopular at other times during the year. Others feel it is a way to show their clever/creative side in a more playful context.

Whatever the reason, there are always some great stunts, pranks and fake products that get put into the world each year. As in past years, we are happy to offer up a roundup of some of the best:

The Google Maps team announces a new role in the company: Pokemon Master
Microsoft brings back Clippy for the mobile age, in the form of “SmartClippy”
Twitter officially announces the “Twitter Helmet”
Virgin Airlines teams with Nest to allow every passenger to each set their own temperature
Honda releases a DIY car
WestJet decides they are switching to Metric Time
Bill Clinton gets in on the “Texts from Hillary” meme

Lots of hilarious and well done jokes this year. Did we miss any? What was your favorite? Leave a comment below.

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