If you’ve been following this series, you know we’ve focused on products, organizations and trends which, for one reason or another, have disappeared from the environment they were once so much a part of. Today, we add another category combining technology and gadgets as we predict some things which will more than likely disappear in the very near future.
Wristwatches
Why in the world would you want to pay a hundred dollars or more for something that just tells you the time, makes your wrist sweaty, and may not match what you’re wearing? More and more people are realizing just that and are simply relying on the built-in clock on their cell phone or iPod. And one thing that will probably never change … they’ll still be late!
Zip Drives
A zip drive was once the computer storage rock star, but it’s as good as dead now with the proliferation of flash drives capable of holding gigabytes of data. However, if you’re in the market for cheap paperweights, hang on to that zip drive.
DVDs
Now the DVDs know how the VCR tapes felt not that long ago. Yes, they are in fact going away, no matter what anyone says. Blu-Ray sales are growing and GE’s new holographic storage technology, capable of holding up to 500 GB of data, is in the works.
LCD TVs
Ouch! That means the TV you just bought is already obsolete, no matter what your electronics salesperson told you. The price for OLED TVs, which boast exponentially better contrast ratios of over 1,000,000:1 is already tumbling down. Look for much larger, paper-thin screens in the very near future.
Radios
The medium has reinvented itself amidst the car crisis, slowly weening itself off of the AM/FM standard and opting for either high-quality satellite (Sirius XM) or Web radio.
Manned Military Aircraft
One reason why we’re not incurring World War II-type losses in recent military operations is new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like Predator drones that are used for both intelligence gathering and “bringing the pain” (attacking the enemy).
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.