A new list has revealed the once ‘revolutionary’ pieces of technology that are almost ‘extinct’ in modern day and most likely unheard of by many members of the new generation.
The list, compiled by, Mojo Mortgages, illustrates just how much times have changed over the past few decades and how fast technology has progressed.
From floppy disks to dial-up internet, these are the ‘life changing’ gadgets from the past deemed almost ‘extinct’ in 2019.
Technology is changing at a faster rate than ever before and now experts have revealed the pieces that have now gone extinct
Floppy Disk
The year’s 1996, you’re going to do a business presentation to a prospective client using their computer – but how do you get it onto their computer with flexibility and minimal fuss? Use a floppy disk.
Despite once being labelled as ‘unfloppable’, the floppy disk has certainly flopped and can barely be found in today’s world.
In 1996, over five billion disks were sold – fast forward two decades, and retailers say they sell just 170 a year.
The year’s 1996, you’re going to do a business presentation to a prospective client using their computer – but how do you get it onto their computer with flexibility and minimal fuss? Use a floppy disk
Dial Up
The screech, the intricate planning of outgoing phone calls, the arduously slow loading speed of pages, yes that’s right it can only be one thing – dial-up internet.
It was one of the few ways to access the internet back in the 90s and early 2000s that meant you couldn’t use the internet and make a phone call at the same time.
Although the speed, efficiency, and convenience of internet services has improved, surprisingly, people still use dial-up.
Granted the figure has rapidly fallen from 544 million users in 2002, to 2.1 million people in 2017 – nonetheless there is still some people using dial-up somewhere in the distance.
The screech, the intricate planning of outgoing phone calls, the arduously slow loading speed of pages, yes that’s right it can only be one thing – dial-up internet
DVD Players
This has been a staple household and family favourite for decades but its time might be up soon.
With an unprecedented increase in streaming websites, the number households owning a DVD player has declined from 83 per cent in 2012, to 56 per cent in 2018.
DVD’s are still being bought and watched – but for how much longer?
DVDs have been a staple household and family favourite for decades but its time might be up soon
VHS
Much like the DVD player, VHS’s were synonymous in every household in the 1990s.
It was estimated that in the mid-90s 200 million VHS players were sold a year worldwide, however with DVD’s, Netflix, and Amazon Prime all hitting our TV screens since, VHS is few and far between.
How big is the decline? In 2017, approximately 17 per cent of the US population still used VHS and VCR, but that’s set to continue to fall.
It was estimated that in the mid-90s 200 million VHS players were sold a year worldwide
Cassettes
Take yourself back to 1982, put on your lycra, rollerblades and head to the park. Make sure you don’t forget the one ultimate accessory: the cassette player.
This was the perfect method of listening to music on the go, or impressing your significant other with a romantic mixtape.
In 1990, 442 million cassettes were sold but by the mid 2000’s a species that had once ruled the music tech landscape has almost evaporated.
The cassette player was the perfect method of listening to music on the go, or impressing your significant other with a romantic mixtape
Sega Mega Drive
Remember the good old days of no-nonsense gaming? Two controllers, a few games, a console and a TV were all that was required.
As time has progressed, so has the intelligence of video games, and retro consoles like the Sega Mega Drive appear less and less.
Since 1988, 30.75 million units of the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had been sold, but how many remain in the wild today is unknown.
As time has progressed, so has the intelligence of video games, and retro consoles like the Sega Mega Drive appear less and less
PDA Palm
Before the smartphone came along people would organise their life, make calls and access the internet with a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
Palm devices are often remembered as ‘the first wildly popular handheld computers,’ responsible for ushering in the smartphone era.
In 2000, they hit the ground running with 24.6 million used worldwide. That number grew by over 200 million in 2007, and then the iPhone was released.
The current population is unknown but thought to be rapidly declining.
Before the smartphone came along people would organise their life, make calls and access the internet with a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
Pagers
How did people get hold of each other instantly, before the proliferation of the smartphone? In 1994, 61 million people were using pagers to send instant messages.
Particularly for those working in the health and business sectors, pagers would send succinct messages to fellow pager users.
You would simply need to use a stylus to stylishly organise your life and browse the internet.
In 2017, we’ve seen a 98 per cent decrease in ownership, with only 1.3 million pagers being used worldwide.
How did people get hold of each other instantly, before the proliferation of the smartphone? In 1994, 61 million people were using pagers to send instant messages
MiniDisc Players
The MiniDisc player promised the flexibility of a CD player, but with the ease and ‘convenience’ of a cassette player.
Between 1992 and 2011, over 22 million players were sold but with the increase in popularity of the mp3, and iPod, any cassette-based device dissolved into the rich tapestry of technological history.
In 2013, Sony ceased making MiniDisc players.
The MiniDisc player promised the flexibility of a CD player, but with the ease and ‘convenience’ of a cassette player