5 Technologies That Will Be Extinct By 2020 (Or Probably Already Are)

[Anonymous]

How many of you fondly remember the VCR? I do. But my 12-year-old son's best friend described one to his father like it was some kind of ancient relic left over from Land of the Lost.

In just 5 short years, some of the technologies you've come to know will most likely be as dead as the dodo. Here's five of them:

1. Digital cameras

2. iPods and other music players

3. The home printer

4. Land lines

5. The GPS

Interestingly, four of the five were killed by the Smart Phone.

Do you think any other technologies will be dead in the next 5 years?

[Anonymous]

DVD's, CD's, Blu-ray, or any physical media like this... they're looking to be on the down-and-out already. Especially DVD's and CD's, you'll find a lot of laptops no longer come with DVD/CD drives and even custom PC packages routinely exclude a drive because it's just not necessary anymore.

With bandwidth increasing + the data you need being able to be stored/transferred without any "middle man", it eliminates the need for physical media and therefore the need for devices to read that media.

Areas like gaming and software distribution are areas that is already very heavily in the practice of digital downloads already. DD allows for the content to be stored with the profile, and not a physical case or license key.

[musicbrain5]

You didn't say why for any of them, though. Anyways, I disagree with cameras and printers. A real camera will ALWAYS take a better photo than the best and most expensive smartphone out there, because of the lens and the higher megapixel quality. I don't see DSLRs going off the market in the next 5 years, or even the next 10 or 15. There will always be a market for standalone cameras, especially among amateur and professional photographers. A professional photographer would NEVER use a smartphone to take pictures or video.

As for printers, we're printing more paper now than ever before since we're all using more digital technology. Printers may get smaller and faster, but they're never going to go away.

[Notyabuzinezz]

Not really, add android as OS for a camera, add a simcard slot, and you've got a smartphone that's also a camera. In fact there are already phones/cameras in development exactly like that.

[musicbrain5]

@Notyabuzinezz: So if you install Android on your little Cybershot camera it becomes a smartphone? lol. Most cameras have SD or microSD slots, as do most phones so photos can be added to the phone from the camera via the card.

I know there are better camera apps out there than the default ones that come with the phone. However, I've yet to see a smartphone that has interchangeable camera lenses like SLR or DSLR cameras do. It will never be the same, at least not in the next 5 years.

[Notyabuzinezz]

Sorry poor choice of words, I meant for manufacturers, it isn't that hard to create a camera that is also a phone.

[musicbrain5]

@Notyabuzinezz: Okay yeah I see what you mean. I think if that's the way things are heading, manufacturers will need to figure out a way to design a camera smartphone that will cater to the photography industry - one that has a good flash bulb and interchangeable lenses that can custom focus, but that are still portable as a phone. For the average consumer, something like the Sony Cybershot could easily be a phone as well as a camera.

[Notyabuzinezz]

Yea I think that's why we haven't actually seen such a phone. People who just want a decent camera, won't buy this at a higher price, because it will be much bulkier than a regular phone.
And pros will most likely not satisfied with the phone because probably either the smartphone side or the camera side will suck (because making one device alone is hard enough)

[Hidden_P]

Aye... I work in a photography studio. There is a need for cameras and printers.

[Corsair777]

As a computer tech, I disagree with all of these.

1) There will be a market for standalone cameras, whether it's a professional using a DSLR, or a child using a point and shoot he got as a gift. One day perhaps but not everyone has or needs a phone with a camera built in.

2) Portable music players will always be around, largely the same reason as #1, not everyone has a (smart) phone to replace them with. Under 18 is the biggest demographic for these devices as only a fraction of under 18 have smartphones.

3) Totally wrong, adults need to print bills, invoices, tax forms, the list goes on. I need my printer all the time and will for the forseeable future. While I don't print a large quantity, I do need to print, especially government forms.

4) This one is a little bit better, but I still disagree, many people use these lines for business, and many families invest in a land line so that children may phone their friends or for whatever else, not needing a parents smartphone.

5) Many truckers use these, not all of them have the time or patience to deal with Google Maps, many of them also don't have smart phone or data. These also tend to be slightly more reliable due to their specialized nature.

in my opinion.

[Hannah591]

Cameras won't leave entirely, they always take better pictures and there are millions of enthusiastic photographers in the world who will keep buying.

iPods possibly could but I still use my iPod because my phone hasn't got enough memory for my 620 songs and I wouldn't want to use up my battery for my music. Also, iTunes is still very popular.

I don't see why the home printer would go. Most people need one and there's no alternative. Letters are still sent, people will always be in education which requires it, invoices are printed more so now because everyone shops online and nothing beats having a freshly printed piece of paper, beautifully laid out.

Possibly landlines could go but again, millions of people have them and there are some benefits, such as the number not needing to be changed whilst your mobile phone number may change yearly. Some people like to distinguish their mobile for leisure and their landline for business too.

I still much prefer a GPS over my phone; they're more reliable, they don't die quick, they don't use up your internet, they don't get interfered if someone rings you and they don't occasionally shut off.

Desktops used for anything other than gaming may be gone, everyone has tablets and laptops now. Though, gaming laptops could start taking over gaming desktops.

In the far future, I think computers may be overtaken by smart phones or tablets as a way to access the internet.

[Anonymous]

No to all of these?

DSLR, still a digital type of camera is still and more than likely will be VERY relevant for the next decade, certainly 5 years. Sorry your smart phone won't replace those. Even less capable digital cameras have intelligent features that smart phones just don't have, optical zoom lenses and variable settings (ISO/shutter/f-stop).

Ipods and music players, will most certainly still be here. Sure you can play stuff off your phone, but for things where high audio quality is required, things like large volume iPods (iPod classics) with good codec capability are far more desirable than phones due to longer battery life, higher built in space, and substantially better dedicated hardware.

Home printer, nope. Something still need to be done on paper, especially things that required legal binding documentation which has to be notarized.

Landline, nope. Not even close. Business require this without question and in fact all small to large scale well grounded corporations usually buy blocks of telephone numbers dedicated to their branches. i. e. Bank of America in NYC may buy 518-450-XXXX to 518-460-XXXX, because it offers technological safety advantages (war dialing), and it ensures that block can easily have rules applied to it with regards to anti-soliciting. If you're talking about home use, maybe, but still unlikely as your cable/DSL/broadband connection relies on UTP public telephony lines for the last stretch - even if you're getting fiber optic the "last mile" is based on good old public telephony copper cabling.

GPS, probably the only feasible one here, but still unlikely. Dedicated GPS hardware which is not as limited by the public telephony wireless domain is crucial. I still don't see it going any time soon.

[kheserthorpe]

I own four of the five.

I don't ever use the digital camera. I know some people will. People who want good photos will continue to want dedicated lenses that are bigger than the rest of us want in our pockets.

Ipods-as-music-players yes, we used to own small mp3 players, no more. But ipod touches? we own two, could use a third. As long as cellular isn't free, there will be a demand for a 'like a smartphone but without cellular capability' handheld device.

Home printer? I dont' use it much. But it's something I -need- often enough I wouldn't go out to the store every time I need one.

Landline? I still have one. I consider getting rid of it. But when I'm out, my kids don't have cell phones, etc. I'm not sure how many families with children will not have a 'home' phone. I think they may move entirely to IP phones though.

GPS? yeah, absorbed into cellphones.

[meatballs21]

Cameras? No, because you can't yet pack the same quality components of a modern DSLR into the small form factor of a phone - never mind the lenses! Very unlikely that'll happen economically enough to make them 'dead' within five year, either.

iPods are hanging in there because phones with big enough capacities still cost a ton and most manufacturers are reluctant to allow you to plug in SD cards to expand the capacity (both for greed and design considerations)

Printers aren’t going anywhere. All those cameras mean people want to print their pictures! Plus you need hard copies of stuff like letters, receipts, forms…

Land lines? They could have died 15 years ago, but didn’t. I suspect they’ll persist with business for a while yet, and for residential properties in rural areas they can serve a dual purpose in providing a means for ADSL internet.

GPS? If anything needs to die, it’s built-in ones with the extortionate costs for the annual update discs.

[madhatters4]

1. Digital cameras
--- cameras will not go extinct. professional photographers or even people who are camera hobbyists will still want the customization they can play with on their point and shoots, DSLR's, etc.

3. home printers
--- I don't see it going extinct only because people will still have a need to print stuff

5. GPS
--- I wonder if this will go extinct since car manufacturers will most likely still include them as an option on cars for people who don't want to use a cell phone

[Creole_Flavor]

I agree because something will need to replace the printers. If anything printing technology will be increased.

[madhatters4]

at some point in the not too distant but not very near future I imagine we'll be a paperless world. digital communication and all but I don't see that happening at least several decades

[Dandeus]

The home printer will not be dead in 5 years. 10 might be a stretch. Too many businesses and legal documents require hard copy and hand signature. Some industries still use fax on a regular basis.

Digital cameras aren't going anywhere. Cheap point and click cameras will be replaced by phones, but DSLRs will not. Hobbyists and professional photographers will always want dedicated devices.

MP3 players are essentially dead already.

Copper line may go away eventually, but it's in-place infrastructure and extremely cheap. Until cell plan pricing gets cheap, land lines will be around, even if only in the form of VOIP. This is especially true in business when you need multiple devices on a single number.

GPS is evolving. Garmins and TomToms stuck to windshields will go away, but integrated dashboard touchscreen systems are becoming more common, and these often include gps. See the recent news about Android Auto.

[AshleyMD]

Interesting I get digital cameras and land lines but why do you think ipods, home printers and GPSs will no longer be as popular or around?
I think in 2020 CDs and DVDs will have completely gone and be as rare as cosset tapes and VCRs.
I can't believe a 12 year old thinks VCRs are ancient I'm only 6 years older than that I remember them when I was a young kid.

[myTake Owner]

When I said digital cameras, I never meant DSLR. That's an entirely different animal than one of those chinsy handheld cheap digital cameras that everyone used to have.

Ipods - because smart phones with music players will eliminate the necessity for them.

Home printers because technology is moving more and more toward paperlessness.

I never meant GPS technology either, just the weird garmin GPS's that you put in your car. Smart phones have also eliminated the need for those.

[AshleyMD]

Oh ok thanks for answering my question.

[Anonymous]

Cameras certainly not. especially DSLRS and mirrorless. Even the most modern smartphone doesn't have the capability and picture quality as cameras a couple years older than it.

Not sure about printers, I still use them for advertising.

Ipods and landlines quite possibly.

GPS will probably get integrates into more vehicles, and there's the battery life issue, you're smartphone can't be used for everything simply because of battery life. GPS is a heavy battery user. GPS will still be around, but more integrated across platforms.

[front2back]

1. Not exactly, professional photographers (or enthusiasts) still want a good camera.
2. Nope. People still love music. My iPhone is mostly used as an iPod.
3. Nope. It's too convenient for many of us to print from where we're at. A lot of homework and documents still require you to print.
4. Yes.
5. Not at all! GPS is WAYYYY too important in our modern world to let go. Now, individual devices are getting replaced by car and phone navigation systems, but GPS will be here forever.

[Gabby21924]

I dont think this is quite accurate. I'm pretty sure home printers, iPods and GPSs will still be around in 2020

[BertMacklinFBI]

if she is trying to be SUPER TECHNICAL then she probably meant the iTouch will be around but iPods will disappear lol.

[KHaskins]

I dispute the death of digital cameras. There are things even a low-end DSLR is capable of that a smartphone simply cannot do.

[Tomsta]

I remember all of those inc vcr... gps won't die out i font think... smartphone batteries arnt good enough for that kind of constant use

Ipods also won't die most phones vompress audio domething cronic that it makes it unlistenable

[LauraMarx]

all of them will be replaced by casettes and casio keyboards

[KBob93]

I doubt the printer will be necessarily. There'll be less of a need for it though

[itsallover]

CD-ROMs are definitely one. Most music/films are downloaded these days.

[Eridan]

You can't make a decent photo with a smartphone now and 2020 won't be much different. You need some space for the optics.

[Krushhbrownies]

The GPS? You're wrong. It won't be. It has been here since 1970's and it's not gonna go away. There is so much application for it

[chrisbigman]

I doubt they will die so easily. Besides, I don't have a smartphone.

[Anonymous]

i don't see why GPS will be eliminated, it has been very helpful in people driving to their destination, so are cars going to just come with a navigation system, no matter the price range of the car?

[cipher42]

Because smartphones have gps, so people won't need individual ones.

[myTake Owner]

What she said.