What products/services are already obsolete to you NOW?

[NW-Bound]

Soon, everything will be obsolete, when all we need is an RJ-45 to connect our brain to the Matrix.

Ooops! That is already outdated. Make it an implanted Blue Tooth Version 9.3 that runs off our blood glucose. No need for travel, iPhone, iPad, iAnything. We will stay connected and share our thoughts and experiences all the time with one another. Just close your eyes and you will be there. Anyone can experience exotic places, good food, and interesting activities.

As early as 1983, there was this movie Brainstorm that was based on the above premise. Someone brought this movie up in a recent thread.

Brainstorm (1983) - IMDb

 

[ohyes]

Those big old heavy, heavy huge televisions...before flat screens? We purchased them for our kids years ago for Christmas. They were still in the house because, well, because they were so heavy.

At yard sale this weekend, we sold one for $2.00 and gave the other one away. We were SO HAPPY to be rid of them---and i think they cost us about $350 each.

 

[JoeWras]

I still use paper maps (I like the challenge, it exercises my brain).

I use a calculator when doing finances for one-off calculations because it is faster than pulling it up on the desktop PC. I don't have a phone with apps.

But I still agree with the list.

We recently sold a popcorn maker at a garage sale. It -- and a microwave bacon tray -- were the first things to go.

My addition to the list? Crank windows on cars. So much stuff that used to be extra has basically become standard, with some rare exceptions. Much of this change in the last 10 years.

That would be:

• Sound systems (obsoletes radio only cars)
• Electric windows (obsoletes crank windows)
• A/C (obsoletes heater only cars)
• Power steering (obsoletes manual steering)

 

[freebird5825]

One thing I hope NEVER becomes obsolete is the automobile manual transmission. Two of my vehicles have this feature.
I despise driving a car with an automatic transmission, especially in snow and ice.
A manual tranny could become an unintentional auto theft deterrent.
How many young people know how to use a stick shift these days?

 

[pb4uski]

I caught a glimpse of a video the other day where a guy tried to steal a truck but didn't get far because he didn't know how to drive a stick. Funny.

 

[kumquat]

One thing I hope NEVER becomes obsolete is the automobile manual transmission. Two of my vehicles have this feature.
I despise driving a car with an automatic transmission, especially in snow and ice.
A manual tranny could become an unintentional auto theft deterrent.
How many young people know how to use a stick shift these days?

I taught my kids to drive in the same vehicle I learned in, a 1938 Ford Two-Ton. Of course it had a manual tranny. They did Ok, both can drive a "crash box", can you?

 

[Nords]

I taught my kids to drive in the same vehicle I learned in, a 1938 Ford Two-Ton. Of course it had a manual tranny. They did Ok, both can drive a "crash box", can you?

By the time our daughter and I mutually agreed to end her manual-transmission training, our '97 Altima darn near was a crash box.

For some inexplicable reason she didn't care about learning how to double-clutch or do donuts, either, even after I assured her that she'd be a guy magnet.

 

[David1961]

My old vinyl record albums and CDs, now that I have everything on my computer.
Speaking of computers, how long do you think desktops will be around?

 

[scrabbler1]

Any recording device that uses tape including movie camera, cassette recorder, answering machine.

Good one here. My last VCR died a few years ago and the main reason I made no effort to replace it was I could catch nearly all of the shows I would have taped on line. And when my last answering machine died a few years ago (it used a microcassette tape) I replaced with a tapeless version which works a whole lot better.

Floppy diskettes are pretty much passe, especially with new PCs not even having a floppy drive. Thumb drives are so much better. Even data CDs are going that route, too (as another poster mentioned).

 

[kumquat]

By the time our daughter and I mutually agreed to end her manual-transmission training, our '97 Altima darn near was a crash box.

For some inexplicable reason she didn't care about learning how to double-clutch or do donuts, either, even after I assured her that she'd be a guy magnet.

Some guys just don't know what an attractive young lady is. It's also possible that they don't know how to drive.

DD holds a record AFAIK. Came over the hill kinda quick, saw the mounties too late, braked, got pulled over. Cop says "good brakes on your car". She says "huh?". He says "zapped you 3 times, 160, 140 and 110" (all in KPH). He says "license and registration please", she hands it over. He says "you're an RCMP sargeant?" She says "huh?". He says "slow down". At the time she was a civilian employee of the RCMP. Says she may have had too many pieces of paper with the license and registration, DW says "did he get a date?".

DD's name is Mary. Her friends call her Andretti.

 

[tmm99]

Retail stores...except stores that sell clothes and shoes (I want to try them on to check the fit) and stores that sell perishable food.

 

[Idnar7]

Transistor radio/walkman/cd player
Department store credit cards
Full service gas stations
Non-digital cameras and film processing
Video stores
Alarm clocks
Non-electronic socializing
Paper and pen

 

[travelover]

I only wish FAX machines were totally obsolete. I got rid of mine when I found that the printer in which resided didn't play nice with my new computer. Since then I've had a number of interfaces with companies that do not do email attachments and insist on sending / receiving faxes. And no, my Windows 7 doesn't have FAX capability like the XP platform did.

 

[Midpack]

Paper checks are close.

Good one, very rare for us too. I have to stop and think when I write one these days it's so infrequent.

Crank windows on cars.

Another goodie. They're rare. DW rented an economy car a few months back and spent a few seconds looking for the window up/down button before noticing the crank handle.

My old vinyl record albums.

Sold all mine at a garage sale years ago, though I know some audiophiles still covet them with their turntables (also obsolete for me, just threw ours in the trash years ago).

Non-electronic socializing

As much as I welcome/embrace technology, I think we're all in trouble if "actual" socializing becomes obsolete, I hope not...

 

[Walt34]

Typewriters. Hard to believe but some people still use them.

Some of the items listed we still use whether we want to or not, like sending/receiving faxes last week. But I had to RTFM to get the printer fax to work since I'd never used it. It's been about ten years since I'd sent/received a fax.

I keep a hand calculator in a bedroom drawer just because sometimes that's easier than going to the PC.

I'll have a desktop (well, tower anyway) computer with a large display for photo editing for the foreseeable future. Easier to fix/upgrade and we just don't have a need for a laptop. All the stuff I use with it collectively with is not portable - photo scanner, two printers, and a Wacom tablet. We have a large L-shape corner desk for all the stuff, and we do use it.

 

[MichaelB]

Lots of things being listed that we still do or use – especially popcorn. Does that make me obsolete?

Some I do share

+1 on vinyl records. Audiophiles and collectors aside, this is mainstream obsolete.
+1 on manual car windows.
+1 on VCRs, cassette tapes. We still have lots, including one box that has moved twice without being opened.
+1 on typeweiters.

A few services I have not seen in ages

- the gas station “full service” pump, except in NJ
- propane tank refills instead of exchanges
- independent book stores.
- customer service not script driven or frontloaded with 5 levels of voice response

 

[HFWR]

I don't believe I've ever had a tranny in my car...

 

[RunningBum]

Film cameras. That probably went obsolete for me and most of us more than 10 years ago. But even digital cameras are obsolete for me now. My cell phone camera is handier and takes just as good of pictures as my point and shoot.

Including window cranks here seems funny to me. It's not like I decided I would stop using, or replace, the window cranks on my car. At some point I got a car that had power windows because I needed a newer car. By the time I got my next car, pretty much all manufacturers did away with cranks. It's also been more than 5-10 years, btw.

 

[Texas Proud]

Snipped your post to comment on a few from our perspective...

I do agree that even most of these will be going away over time....

• landline phone - haven't had one for years, and never will again.

Still have one... there are places where you do not get a signal even in the middle of a big city... my last house had zero cell phone reception except if you stood on the roof... also, when electricity goes out you do not always get a signal...

• road atlas - between GPS and online maps, why would anyone carry around a paper map or road atlas anymore? GPS is hands free, trying to read a map at 60 mph is downright dangerous, and you can't pull over and look in many places (the Dan Ryan for example).

The problem that we have is that GPS does not always take you on the 'best' route... and having a paper map to be able to see the big picture helps a lot... we do not use the map when driving, just planning... so we know when to ignore the GPS...

• hand held calculator - we have a few around, but I can't imagine every buying another. I use my phone more often than not, or the iPad or PC when in hand.

Since they cost so little, I have a few hanging around the house.... much easier to do some quick calculations on it than a phone (if you remember my post about my son wanting a phone, I have an 'old mans phone')

• wrist watch - again, many of us carry our phones most of the time (and more will as time passes IMO). It gives more accurate time than most wrist watches. These days, a wrist watch is really just jewelry IMO. I've let the batteries go dead on all my watches (I need to sell the valuable ones on eBay...).

I do not carry my phone with me always.... and even when I do it is easier to just look at my wrist to get the time...

 

[Texas Proud]

One thing I hope NEVER becomes obsolete is the automobile manual transmission. Two of my vehicles have this feature.
I despise driving a car with an automatic transmission, especially in snow and ice.
A manual tranny could become an unintentional auto theft deterrent.
How many young people know how to use a stick shift these days?

LOL... I saw a video that I believe was in the UK where the car jacker could not drive a stick... it was funny (not to the guy who had the gun pointed at his face.... but the thief who had to run away)...


Opps... saw someone else mentioned this... Oh well...

 

[David1961]

Being "follicly-challenged", I find blow dryers and hairbrushes to be obsolete.

But I still (barely) use a comb.

 

[Tyro]

Funny, I'm actually looking for an old school style of popcorn maker (the kind with the spinning bottom). I want one for coffee roasting.

We're still using a family heirloom similar (but not exact) to this:

​

but cleaner, and with a much safer replacement cord, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Tyro

 

[Tyro]

Those big old heavy, heavy huge televisions...before flat screens? We purchased them for our kids years ago for Christmas. They were still in the house because, well, because they were so heavy.

We bought one of those (36" HD) because it was 1/2 the price of an LCD (that you had to be sitting directly in front of or it washed out) and 1/4 the price of a plasma screen.

 

[Tyro]

+1 on vinyl records. Audiophiles and collectors aside, this is mainstream obsolete.

As Nick Cage noted in The Rock.... "These sound better."

I consider myself neither an audiophile nor a collector, but why replace the music I like that I've already paid for?

 

[Texas Proud]

As Nick Cage noted in The Rock.... "These sound better."

I consider myself neither an audiophile nor a collector, but why replace the music I like that I've already paid for?

Ya don't.... just put it in your computer and rip it to MP3....