Technology

Posted on September 29, 2017 by staff

Top 10 tech victims: From the Walkman to Ceefax

Technology

Remember the days when everyone had a Walkman?

Four-player Goldeneye and Mario Kart battles on the Nintendo 64?

The humble floppy disk? (side note: do kids today wonder what that disk save icon is all about?)

As technology moves rapidly onward, nostalgic products such as these become obsolete then fade into the distance.

With the help of the penny-pinching experts at Promotionalcodes.org.uk, here are ten pieces of technology that are sorely missed.

The floppy disk

The classic data storage disk is a real symbol of the beloved tech on the 90s and 00s that quickly became obsolete. Once the portable disk storage of choice, the introduction of USBs meant that the floppy disk quickly vanished after the turn of the century.

Nintendo 64

There are many discontinued games consoles we could’ve added to this list, but the N64 will perhaps be missed the most due to the number of iconic multiplayer games that are associated with it.

The fax machine

Arguably the piece of tech we’ll miss the least, any person who worked in an office over the last few decades will have most likely had a bittersweet relationship with their fax machine, and will no doubt have seen red mist whenever it broke down.

Old mobile phones

It can feel hard at times to think back to a day when smartphones didn’t dominate the mobile industry, but before them ‘brick’ phones and portable Nokias were all the rage. Most people will tell you they prefer the newer iPhone and Android models, but who doesn’t miss their old polyphonic ringtone?

iPod/Walkman

With smartphones encompassing all our on-the-go technology needs, carrying a bulky iPod or Walkman in your pocket has become almost completely redundant. Some makes of the popular brands are still manufactured, but you’ll do well to come across someone who owns one.

Typewriters

The age-old typing machine is still beloved by many fans of nostalgic tech, but with the dawn on computers and printers, there was no need to use the clunky machines anymore.

Ceefax

The teletext service was quite literally a household name, streaming 24-hour information into every UK home with a television set. Like most technologies in the list however, the digital age quickly swept it aside, and the beloved service was deactivated in 2012 in time for the digital switchover.

VHS/VCR

The VHS spent almost 30 years as the most popular format for watching and recording films and TV shows, but unfortunately it didn’t take long into the 21st century before this beloved technology was taped over and replaced by DVDs.

PDA (Personal digital assistant)

“Download it to my PDA!” Jack Bauer used to shout in 24. The equivalent of a handheld PC, this gadget was popular amongst business people throughout the 90s and 2000s before the functions became merged with a mobile phone. Despite this, some are still manufactured today.

Polaroid cameras

Polaroid cameras date back decades and will be most fondly remembered for the ‘Shake it’ action required to develop the photo. With high quality cameras attached to every smartphone their popularity quickly began to decline, although they are still in circulation today.