With all the modern technology that’s available to us today, it is easy to forget some of the old devices that were used just a few years ago but have now become obsolete! New pieces of hardware, such as Smartphones, combine the features of many different devices into one package, making the older technology less desirable.
But even with the latest advances, there are still some old technologies that are routinely used by a variety of people. Some users just simply don’t see the need to move with the times as they are comfortable with that device they have used for years, whilst other technologies are still in use for more elaborate and complex reasons.
Here are some outdated technologies that are still used today.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks are a relic of the 1980s when users only ever had to save a few kilobytes of data. Today, the technology has been replaced by huge hard drives, CDs, USB flash drives, emails, and cloud storage that allows users to store thousands of gigabytes of information.
However, that hasn’t stopped floppy disks from being in common use. Sony sold 12 million units in 2009, and they can still commonly be found in stores! The biggest buyers are businesses who still use old computers that can only accept older storage mediums.
VHS Tapes
VHS tapes were once the bastion of home entertainment, in a simpler time when family room shelves were full of clunky tapes, and when people would actually go to a store to rent videos. DVDs put an end to major film putting their movies onto VHS tapes in 2005.
Now services like Netflix and Hulu are putting DVDs under pressure. However, there is still a large market for VHS tapes, with over 50% of all Americans still owning a VCR. Amazon and Wal-Mart are still selling blank tapes, suggesting they are still being bought.
Phone Books
Phone books are something that everyone had delivered to their door, yet in today’s world, phone numbers are easily retrieved much quicker online, meaning they have become obsolete. But in many countries, phone books are still delivered to the whole population.
iPods
iPods were very popular when they were released, but as technologies have progressed, they have made the iPod outdated. Smartphones now have numerous apps where you can listen to your music, and so much more, meaning the use for an iPod has become redundant.
However, there are those who still enjoy owning an iPod, which they may have had for a long time, containing playlists that remind them of a younger time.
Typewriters
Now that almost everyone has access to a computer of some sort, you would think typewriters are hiding away in the attic, but there are actually a significant number of writers in various fields who still use typewriters today. These are useful in areas where an electricity supply may be erratic, such as in India where court typists use them.
Some writers, such as author Will Self, claim typewriters forces a person to think more about what they’re writing as they simply cannot delete a sentence and start again, also offering the ability to write without the distractions of Facebook and Twitter.
Typewriters are actually seeing something of a revival in their use by government agencies, with both Russia and Germany discussing using typewriters to help avoid leaks and spying that’s made possible with computers and laptops.
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