Was Betamax a failure?

Technically far superior to VHS and much more compact and yet due to market forces it was eclipsed by VHS.

Similarly the last European Ford Escort sold by the boat load, even though it wasn't particularly reliable and was certainly well behind in terms of the way it functioned.

It just goes to show that no matter how excellent your product it can still fail for reasons that are grossly unfair. In the words of the song "Life's a bitch and then you die"!