5 Tech products that will be obsolete in 5 years.

Lyndhurst 14 · Jan 6, 2014

Any more? I'd add fax machines, which I thought were dead anyway – apart from lawyers who seem to persist in using them when everybody else scans and e mails

5 tech gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

vegster · Jan 6, 2014

Lyndhurst 14 said:
Any more? I'd add fax machines, which I thought were dead anyway – apart from lawyers who seem to persist in using them when everybody else scans and e mails

5 tech gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

" Normal " light bulbs. It's all LED or low energy lightbulbs these days.

Creaky · Jan 6, 2014

Lyndhurst 14 said:
Any more? I'd add fax machines, which I thought were dead anyway – apart from lawyers who seem to persist in using them when everybody else scans and e mails

5 tech gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

I found to my cost last year that a copy of an email is not accepted by the courts as a receipt of instructions by the person it is addressed to, whilst a copy of a fax delivery sheet would have been.

The argument is that with a fax you have confirmation and a printed record of delivery, with an email you haven't and the recipient can deny ever receiving it!

Guinness Boy · Jan 6, 2014

Lyndhurst 14 said:
Any more? I'd add fax machines, which I thought were dead anyway – apart from lawyers who seem to persist in using them when everybody else scans and e mails

5 tech gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

Fax machines are invaluable for those panic signings on the final day of the transfer window.

And that journalist is going to be obsolete soon too. He's done a numbered list of things without turning it in to a buzzfeed. Tsk.

Cian · Jan 6, 2014

Previous job (medical sector) I was installing fax machines to the week I left, used constantly to ferry around referrals, prescriptions etc. Analogue modems turned up very frequently too, for direct product ordering using EDI or 'secure' dialbacks from some regional healthboards results systems.

Current job (broadcast) I have to order ISDN lines frequently.

joeinbrighton · Jan 6, 2014

Not going to be as much hassle to move house in 5 years' time, is it? It will just be the bulky furniture items to take care of.

beorhthelm · Jan 6, 2014

i think they've got all them wrong. the fax tells the tale of how "obsolete" technologies linger, i've still got a tape deck in my 2000 car and reports of the death of vinyl have greatly exaggerated. calling bluray and DVD as dead in 5 years make me wonder if the author knows anything about technology.

Questions · Jan 6, 2014

Typewriters........I can't get the ribbons for mine recently.

The Antikythera Mechanism · Jan 6, 2014

The current generation of solar panels. They'll still work, but will have evolved into far more efficient and unobtrusive units.

Guy Fawkes · Jan 6, 2014

beorhthelm said:
i think they've got all them wrong. the fax tells the tale of how "obsolete" technologies linger, i've still got a tape deck in my 2000 car and reports of the death of vinyl have greatly exaggerated. calling bluray and DVD as dead in 5 years make me wonder if the author knows anything about technology.

But would people still spend several quid buying a DVD or Bluray when they could stream a months worth of films for the same price?

There may be some sales but i doubt they will be as mass produced as they are now.

vegster · Jan 6, 2014

Guy Fawkes said:
But would people still spend several quid buying a DVD or Bluray when they could stream a months worth of films for the same price?

There may be some sales but i doubt they will be as mass produced as they are now.

Similarly there are people holding on to their 12" vinyl records but with no method of playing them.

beorhthelm · Jan 6, 2014

Guy Fawkes said:
But would people still spend several quid buying a DVD or Bluray when they could stream a months worth of films for the same price?

There may be some sales but i doubt they will be as mass produced as they are now.

first, "some" would break the premise of the article. main point though, millions of people will not have streaming films in 5 years time and millions more would still buy physical if if they did. remember how MP3 was going to wipe out CDs? people have been able to get services for streaming vast catalogues of music for years, but CDs still sell.

shaolinpunk · Jan 6, 2014

Youtube have developed a new video codec that they say should allow videos to stream significantly faster than they do now. If that means that any broadband connection can stream Blu-ray (or indeed 4K video - something Youtube and Netflix will be offering very soon if not already) without any buffering then yes, I can see physical media dying out.

Steve in Japan · Jan 6, 2014

beorhthelm said:
first, "some" would break the premise of the article. main point though, millions of people will not have streaming films in 5 years time and millions more would still buy physical if if they did. remember how MP3 was going to wipe out CDs? people have been able to get services for streaming vast catalogues of music for years, but CDs still sell.

CDs do still sell, but the numbers are definitely on the slide.

The article is ok but should not talk about obselete in 5 years, more about what is likely to be the trends. So on my own list would be 3D TVs, plasma TVs (look out for 4K TVs), DVDs, CDs, and the standalone MP3 player (will be on your phone)

happypig · Jan 6, 2014

"low end digital cameras" - your man is talking bollocks on this one. I have a 2007 vintage Sony camera that has superior optics and a better flash than my smartphone. I would confidently predict that a sub £100 camera of today will outperform a smartphone in 5 years.

Steve in Japan · Jan 7, 2014

Mustafa said:
3DTV is in all probability the future of cinema and broadcasting, it won't become obsolete - but emerging technologies are now making it possible to view 3D image on screens without the need for the glasses, which has been the major obstacle up until now. So over the next decade we should expect 3D to become as common as HD is today.

Certainly I would`t buy a 3D TV that needed me to wear glasses (glasses on my glasses - no thanks) and thats what I think will stop selling in the same volume. But they have been selling like hot cakes so it`s a bold (or stupid) call. You`re right, if the glasses free 3D was available at decent price, I would happily buy.

Gwylan · Jan 7, 2014

Guy Fawkes said:
But would people still spend several quid buying a DVD or Bluray when they could stream a months worth of films for the same price?

There may be some sales but i doubt they will be as mass produced as they are now.

I have Netflix but still buy DVDs. The trouble with Netflix is that there are only about half a dozen films worth watching and we watched them all in the first couple of months. We keep it to catch up on old TV programmes and for the kids but it will never offer the choice of Amazon

dougdeep · Jan 7, 2014

vegster said:
" Normal " light bulbs. It's all LED or low energy lightbulbs these days.

Maxim still have millions of the old ones and are making a fortune from them.

Thunder Bolt · Jan 7, 2014

vegster said:
Similarly there are people holding on to their 12" vinyl records but with no method of playing them.

I've still got a perfectly good turntable. I also bought a brand new VCR a couple of years ago to play my collection of videos. I use a fax machine daily at work.

Tony Towner's Fridge · Jan 7, 2014

The Crystal Palace Supporters Premier Smartcard.

Oh sorry I thought you said 5 months!

TNBA

TTF

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