I see these articles all the time.
Anyway the latest is on Foxnews.
Here's the list.
1. Landline phones.
I want what the writer is smoking. The baby bells will never let this technology die, and marrying DSL (broadband internet) to landllines is a great way to do that. Its like how the cable companies package standard-def and HDTV. Is there any reason to watch a SDTV channel if a HD one is available? No. But they get more money.
2. Floppy disks.
Floppys are dead. We have one instrument in lab which only takes floppy disks. We have a few computers with a FD drive inside, just so we can read that one instrument. Otherwise, yeah stick a fork in it. My ferret Luci ran off with all my FDs at home, none of our 3 PCs have a FD drive. It's done.
3. Wristwatches
Haha, right. My watch is just an essential part of me, i'm severely affected at work if I dont have it. the timer feature is invaluable.
4. VHS and VCRs
Yup, also dead. We have a stack of VHS tapes, at one point I thought i'd convert them to digital. Alas it was such a PITA to do so, i gave up (the A/V syncing was quite difficult). Thank god i convinced my wife to ditch her 9 seasons of X-Files, the earlier ones which were about dead due to tape degradation.
5. Beepers
Nope, gonna be around a while. The reason is cost, pure and simple. It costs $10 or $15 a month to get a pager, vs $100 a month for a blackberry. Heavily used in hospitals.
6. Film cameras
Nah, will never die. Purists like film, they always will. Film may be a hobby at some point, but it won't die.
7. Typewriters
Nah, need em for forms. Maybe in 50 years they will be dead; but they are still useful.
8. Portable CD players aka Walkmans
Probably dead. Haven't used one in 10 years. MP3 players are the new thing, and convergence devices like the iphone are the next gen, but again most people can't afford the $100 a month.
9. Dial-up internet
Hopefuly dead. I can't image why people would pay for this when for basically the same price you can get DSL. In our area the bare minimum DSL is $25 a month. Pretty good deal.
10. DVDs.
Got a long way to go. Yes, they don't look that great on 1080 HD screens, but you can upconvert. And many of us are loath to pay Sony a zillion dollars to upgrade their DVD collections.
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2 comments:
Nice write up. I like and agree with your opinions.
OK, but some of us old folks like the old stuff. Therefore, I don't think any of the items you mentioned are really out the door. Maybe in a few years when us old timers die off, but not now. And BTW, I never wear a watch. I use the clock on my cell phone.
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