Every passing year brings new gadgets into our homes, and the younger generations seem to be becoming increasingly reliant on these high-tech devices. Older generations, however, are more experienced at sorting the useful inventions from the ridiculous! Here are 20 millennial gadgets that boomers aren’t buying into.
Air Fryers
At first glance, air fryers seem laughable. What’s the point of having a second, ridiculously tiny convection oven on your kitchen counter? However, the gadget may come in handy for some cash-strapped millennials—as the BBC points out, air fryers can save time, energy, and money.
Tamagotchis
Millennials fell in love with these digital pets when they hit the market in 1996, but few boomers could see the appeal—then or now. Tamagotchis offer all of the stress of pet care with none of the rewards. Boomers may have loved their pet rocks, but Tamagotchis are a step too far!
Apple Watches
There’s an old saying: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Unfortunately, it seems that somebody missed this memo when designing the Apple Watch. These devices trade the simple efficiency of a clockwork timepiece for added expense and a confusing mess of features and apps that most boomers will never use.
Gaming Consoles
Boomers spent their childhoods playing outside and using their imagination, so the thought of a generation of kids cooped up inside is surreal. Some millennials waste hours each day trying to beat their latest high score—shouldn’t they be doing something more productive with their time?
Food Processors
Boomers find millennials’ overreliance on kitchen gadgets amusing, and no device seems crazier than the food processor. Knives have existed for thousands of years, but millennials seem determined to put as little effort into food prep as possible. Boomers prefer to do things the old-fashioned way.
E-Book Readers
Millennials may be surprised to learn that Kindles and audiobooks aren’t the only ways to experience great works of fiction. Boomers know that there’s no need to invest in expensive electronics to read and that paperbacks come with an unbeatable advantage—there’s no chance of them losing power just before the final chapter!
Smart Devices
Parks Associates reveals that 18% of homes in the U.S. have six or more smart devices, a statistic that most boomers can’t wrap their heads around. After all, many smart devices seem to serve laughably useless purposes. Why dim the lights using your phone when you could just walk over to the wall switch?
SodaStream Machines
We’re sure that plenty of boomers love the refreshing taste of cola, but most also know their limits. They think it’s laughable that a millennial would let a SodaStream take up valuable kitchen space when it’s only useful for one niche task. To boomers, a SodaStream isn’t just a luxury; it’s an impracticality.
Google Maps
Boomers might be able to navigate using paper charts, but millennials need GPS systems and mapping apps to figure out where they’re going. This need for precise directions baffles boomers, and they think it’s a shame that younger generations miss out on the joys of traveling by always being glued to their screens.
iPads
iPads may be everywhere, but that doesn’t mean that boomers are happy to see millennials using them. The ever-expanding functionality of tablet devices can be offputting to boomers, as it feels impossible to keep up with each new model. Plus, they dislike how these screen-heavy gadgets turn their grandkids into electronic zombies.
Coffee Machines
A morning cup of Joe is a tried-and-tested boomer tradition, but they don’t understand why millennials have to treat coffee so pretentiously. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy machine when instant coffee can get the job done? Boomers like their coffee how they like their lives—simple.
Bluetooth Speakers
Music-loving boomers spent their adolescence working out how to wire up the dream stereo systems they planned to own as adults. For them, going wireless via Bluetooth is never an option. They swear that it just doesn’t sound as good as using the traditional methods!
Selfie Sticks
Younger generations are often stereotyped as being increasingly narcissistic, and it’s safe to say that the selfie stick’s popularity only adds to this image. Even The New York Times agrees with this angle, arguing that selfie stick users are needy for self-gratification. Maybe boomers shouldn’t mock these misguided millennials—but it’s tough not to.
Electrics Cars
Boomers grew up with gas-hungry hotrods, so it’s no wonder that the slow transition towards electric vehicles has taken some of them by surprise. Seniors just can’t understand why millennials would buy a more expensive and less reliable car instead of a vintage Buick or a modern truck.
VR Goggles
Perhaps because they were told that watching too much TV would make their eyes go square, boomers are understandably reluctant to strap miniature screens to their eyeballs. They prefer to live in the world that they’ve spent decades shaping with their own blood, sweat, and tears over taking the plunge into virtual reality.
Electric Toothbrushes
To boomers, electric toothbrushes seem like a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist. After all, old-fashioned toothbrushes were good enough for them, and it’s not as though millennials’ arms are going to drop off if they’re forced to brush for themselves!
Streaming Technology
Boomers spent their childhoods sneaking into matinee screenings or falling in love at drive-in theaters, so the rise of streaming technology has left them scratching their heads. Sure, streaming is accessible, but it’s a shame that younger generations are missing out on the true magic of cinema.
AirPods
For boomers who’ve grown used to chunky wired headphones, Apple’s AirPods appear to be an evolutionary dead end. While older headphones were uncomfortable, they weren’t likely to fall out of your ear and get lost. Indeed, AirPod loss is now so common that CBS reports that these devices litter the NYC subway!
MP3 Players
The idea of enjoying music as hundreds of low-quality digital files is sure to send a shiver down the spines of audiophile boomers. They remember the good old days of record and cassette collections. MP3 players might be convenient, but boomers are unlikely to be dragged away from their carefully curated vinyl.
Segways
These early 2000s transportation devices never quite took off, but millennials loved Segways during their heyday. Boomers, however, were less impressed with this new way of travel. Call it conservatism or just plain common sense, but few boomers are willing to trust these unstable-looking vehicles with their lives.
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