Can you understand how a pencil and acassette tapeare related?
Does the term ‘VHS tracking’ fill you with dread?
Yes, floppy disks were once the standard format for computer software.
Later 3.5-inch floppies held 1.44MB.
They also had a write-protect tab that had to be pulled down to make them writeable.
Floppy’s limited storage was a pain for developers and users.
Windows NT once became available on 22 disks, while Microsoft Office 97 came on 55 (!)…
leading to its eventual replacement by other formats, though Sony was making floppiesup until 2011.
But it seemsnobody told British Airways.
The company was still using them for critical software updates in Boeing 747s in 2020.
VHS Cassette Tapes
Ah, VHS tapes.
Who could forget those low resolutions, tracking lines, and terrible audio?
It also allowed us to record TV programs, providing we set the timer on our VCR right.
So how did VHS eventually crush its competing format?
There were two main reasons: they were cheaper, longer, and more readily available.
Betamax tapes were developed by Sony and released in Japan in 1975.
They were also harder to repair.
They were developed in the 50s and 60s but became widely popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
Pagers started to die out with the proliferation of cell phones with SMS capabilities and later smartphones.
Better sound quality saw CDs overtake cassette tape sales in the 1990s.
Thanks to their cheapness, music was released on cassette tape in India right up until 2009.
Everyone seemed to be buying TVs that promised an immersive experience that had to be seen to be believed.
Well, it did look that way initially.
Dedicated 3D TV channels were appearing around the world, and more manufacturers were pumping out TV sets.
But 3D TV sales started to plummet just as they peaked.
The channels closed down, and people started selling their 3D TVs for 4K and HDR sets.
Whether people everreallyloved 3D TVs or if marketers gaslighted them into thinking they did remains an arguing point.
Like other technology on this list, faxes were still being used in Japan up until recently.
Essentially, an OHP projected an enlarged image onto a wall or a screen.
Anything written on the sheet appears on the wall/screen as an enlarged, easily readable (sometimes) image.
Their low cost made them a common sight inside classrooms.
These devices turned data into audio signals before sending it through the telephone line.
Amazingly, however, 0.2% of Americans were still using dial-up in 2019.
They were still being made as late as 2015, with sales peaking in 2005 at 130 million units.
But they were pretty sturdy and often built to last.
Other Tech That’s Still Clinging On…
But with most of us preferring non-verbal communications these days, how much longer do landlines have left?
Don’t be surprised ifgames on disc becomeincreasingly rare and the next generation of consoles skip them altogether.
Remember when DVDs replaced VHS and everyone thought the format was here to stay?
Aren’t MP3 Players already obsolete?
Image credit:Anthony,Brett Jordan,JohnnyBareToes,Anete Lusina
