With technology constantly improving, it means new gadgets and devices come out, causing old things to be forgotten. Remembering old gadgets that used to be handy can cause waves of nostalgia, so here are 17 things that used to be great but no longer exist.
Walkman and Discman
Edition CNN writes, “Sony has halted the manufacture and distribution of another now-obsolete technology: the cassette Walkman, the first low-cost, portable music player.” The Walkman revolutionized portable music listening in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but as technology has developed, it’s now mainly listened to through smartphones.
Blind Dates
There used to be an excitement that came from meeting someone for the first time and having no idea how they were as a person or what they looked like. This has now been replaced by dating apps and social media, where a person can see what their date looks like beforehand and get a feel for their personality.
Cursive Writing
Cursive writing used to be a fundamental part of education. The emphasis on this has decreased with the use of technology in schools. Nowadays, many people don’t write anything at all and type on keyboards instead. Concerns have been raised about whether today’s children will be able to read historical texts with cursive writing.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks were essential if you wanted to save data in the late 20th century. For example, Best Life writes, “If you wanted to save important documents, you needed something like a floppy disk, which could hold up to 240 MB of memory.” As we progressed into the 21st century, data started to be saved online, particularly on Apple’s iCloud.
Library Card Catalogs
Library card catalogs were the primary way to find a library book before digital databases came onto the scene. There’s now a nostalgic feeling that comes from flipping through a tactile library card catalog. Libraries chose to shift toward a digital catalog as it was more convenient and didn’t take up as much space.
Standalone Calculators
Standalone calculators were an everyday item for schools, offices, and accountants. They offered simple to complex calculations, and you could purchase standard or scientific calculators. Now that smartphones and computers have integrated calculators, they’ve become less needed in everyday life. While they aren’t used so much in offices anymore, they are still needed for education.
Jolly Ranchers Wild Berry Mix
Jolly Ranchers were regularly experimenting with new and different flavors, but this particular one didn’t last. This is supported by Eat This, Not That!, which writes, “Some of these new groupings didn’t last, including the wild berry mix, which saw its last run in 2012 before being pulled from shelves.”
Cinnamon Tic Tacs
Cinnamon Tic Tacs were once a staple flavor, but they’ve now been discontinued. It had a huge impact on brand loyalists, who were upset over the discontinuation of the flavor. It shows the evolution of mint and candy products over time and how flavors come and go.
Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars
These snack bars were discontinued, yet they still have a loyal following, which shows just how popular they were. It’s an example of how certain products can have a lasting impact on society. There were even online petitions to bring back the bars, but they weren’t successful.
VHS Tapes
Cheapism writes, “The VCR and VHS tape were largely rendered obsolete by the turn of the millennium.” VHS tapes dominated the home entertainment market until the arrival of DVDs and then the digital era. The decline began in the early 2000s, as the DVD was of better quality and there was no awkward rewinding.
Dial-up Internet
This was the primary way for homes to access the Internet in the late 1990s and 2000s. Dial-up Internet is still known for its unique connection sound and being incredibly slow, especially compared to today’s standards. It became obsolete when broadband and fiber optic services were introduced.
Physical Maps and Atlases
Physical maps were essential before GPS, as they were the only way to ensure you wouldn’t become lost. They offered detailed geographical information, especially regarding road networks and popular landmarks. They were gradually replaced by digital maps, with many of these including GPS services.
Typewriters
Business Insider writes, “From the early 2000s onwards, computers started dominating. All the manufacturers of office typewriters stopped production.” Before desktop computers, typewriters used to be the go-to technology for creating documents and were valued for their mechanical simplicity and durability.
Filmstrips
Filmstrips were mainly used for educational reasons before the rise of digital media. They have created a nostalgia for analog items, especially when it comes to education. It shows just how quickly technology can develop and how it affects teaching methods and materials.
Pagers
Pagers were an essential form of communication before cell phones came onto the scene. It shows how the evolution of personal communication devices has quickly developed. There was a rapid shift from one-way communication to two-way communication methods. Now, with the rise of technology, we have the option to talk on multiple applications and make video calls.
8-Track Technology
Ever Present writes, “First released in the late 1940s but rising in popularity throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, the 8-track tape was a game changer for music listeners.” Its decline started when cassette tapes were released, and nowadays, 8-track technology is seen as nostalgia for physical music players.
Console TVs
Console TVs were bulkier and looked more like furniture, compared to today’s modern and sleek appliances. Console TVs became obsolete due to improvements in screen technology as LEDs were introduced to produce higher-quality pictures. Nowadays, console TVs are mainly used as collections and nostalgia pieces.
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