It’s surprising how fast new gadgets and technologies replace the existing ones. The time might not be very far when the gadgets that we use today would also be extinct only to be reincarnated into something more compact, sleek, or even with no actual tangible physical body. Just think about this. A decade ago when dial-up internet was the norm, we have now moved on to broadband internet. It’s likely that your children wouldn’t know what dial-up internet was. Your grandchildren might have something more unique in place going forward. But speaking of my children, I think they wouldn’t see these things in the market as they grow up:
1. Landline phones
Although I believe that every home should have a landline phone, even if they have their mobiles, many others are doing away with their landlines. And why not when mobile phones are portable and give you the convenience through some apps on smartphones. Why would you want an installation and monthly subscription to a landline number then! So it’s likely that your five-year-old would have lost touch with the look, feel, and ringing of a landline phone.
2. Camcorders and cameras
Unless it is a professional photographer, we rarely see people carrying their cameras and camcorders along. Even the tourists rely more on the built-in cameras on their smartphones. When pictures and videos go digital, and selfies can be posted on social media in no time, without having to worry about ‘developing’ the pictures from film-roll to a physical photo, smartphone cameras are obviously the order of the day.
3. Movie theaters
With more and more people being able to install a home theatre, and the fact that you can subscribe to a library of films online and take away the exorbitantly priced movie tickets for a whole family, it is likely that our children would end up watching movies more at home than going to movie theaters in the future. Moreover, the HD televisions and 3D sets are now affordable, so your kids can have a real-time fun right at home, than going all the way to a movie theater. Not to forget your cable provider or online subscription provider releases some movies the same day they are released in the theaters too. Plus you can totally avoid the overpriced pops and snacks.
4. Desktops
From big box-like computers to sleek monitors to laptops, technology is thinning down! The portability and sleekness explain it all. A desktop at home can take away quite some space. So you might want to give it off or put on a second-hand sale. Perhaps computer peripherals experts can be good takers. If you are one of those who is high on assembling your peripherals, this too might be bleak given that the desktops are soon to become extinct.
5. Telephone numbers
Through my adolescence, I almost grew up on no yellow pages around. The need for a telephone directory is so going down with one-stop place such as JustDial that dish you out all the relevant numbers. When it comes to connecting with friends or someone in the business, you very readily feed in their numbers on your phone. But with Skype, Facebook audio chat, and Google Talk, the chances are that you will no longer need to save one’s numbers, but might just as well key in the name to talk to the person.
6. Remote control
Remember how we had to walk across the room to program our TV? Remote controls changed that. Going forward, it’s likely that your TV will work on voice command and that your child would not require keeping that remote control handy!
7. Cds
We had the floppy discs. Then came the CDs. Now with the advent of cloud services like iTunes or Amazon, it’s hard for me to imagine that my children would stand at this DVD store browsing their favorite tunes and films.
8. Mouse
With touchscreen laptops making headway, your kids may not fathom using a mouse in future. With Windows 8 already up with something on these lines, mouse might be something your kids will no longer need in the future.
9. Prime time Television
With VCRs, we had the advantage of recording a video. Now DVRs let us record our favorite shows even if we are away. But this too might be overtaken through internet and cable on-demand. Why not when you have most videos going on their own web channels such as YouTube where you can catch up with just about any video you thought you missed!
Want to preserve these antique pieces, sure. You never know if they would hit the museum.
