It’s important to update your home in this rapidly progressing world, but many items become obsolete quicker than you expect. What used to be an essential household appliance has quickly become old news, including these 17 everyday items that are now considered outdated.
Rotary and Landline Telephones
Rotary telephones have, of course, now been replaced by smartphones. So much so that even the idea of having a home telephone is obsolete. Many of us remember landlines being home essentials for communication, but now they’re a novelty.
VHS Tapes
Movies stopped being released on VHS around 2005, according to NBC News, and they’re no longer a staple on the family shelf. Even DVDs, which replaced VHS, are starting to become outdated as more and more people switch to streaming platforms and digital downloads.
Manual Typewriters
At one point, most homes would have some version of a manual typewriter for written documents, but these have long since been replaced by computers and word processors. The digital world has overtaken the manual one, and now, having a typewriter is a very conscious choice only as a collector’s piece.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks have long since been replaced by a variety of options, including cloud storage and USB. Thanks to their limited storage, technology responded by producing much larger and more dependable devices for files.
Incandescent Light Bulbs
Though incandescent light bulbs haven’t gone out of production just yet, many homes are becoming more savvy to energy-efficient lightbulbs or Smart bulbs, which they can personalize. Newer versions with longer lifespans are now preferable to the traditional heated filament.
Cassette Tapes and Walkmans
Thanks to music streaming services being available on any device on the go, the need for a Walkman has swiftly become outdated. Many people still enjoy using them as a mark of nostalgia, but ultimately, the ease of extensive digital libraries has won over carrying around a bag of cassettes!
Manual Coffee Grinders
Good Housekeeping informs us how grinding your own coffee beans before you brew them results in a tastier cup of coffee, which is why grinders haven’t yet disappeared from homes. However, they have made the inevitable switch from manual to electric for a faster and more consistent result.
Printed Road Maps
Thanks to GPS devices and smartphone navigation apps, you’d be hard-pressed to find a vehicle or home with a printed road map these days. Though some people still recommend keeping one just in case technology fails, the general population will always choose GPS first.
Film Cameras
Most homes used to have a traditional film camera to create home movies (and add to that collection of VHS tapes)! Nowadays, you’ll find all home videos and photos on smartphones. Unlimited storage, coupled with instant gratification, means film cameras are outdated to anyone but passionate hobbyists.
Fax Machines
Fax machines used to be essential for home offices and businesses, but now they’re a slow and outdated communication tool. Digital communication is much easier and more efficient, as well as allowing the maintenance cost to be avoided and email attachments to be sent quickly.
Paper Phone Books
Phone books used to be the only way to find contact numbers for services. News Channel 21 says that most phone companies in the U.S. stopped delivering physical phone books around 2010, thanks to the switch to online directories and search engines.
Portable CD Players
Portable CD players were a step up from cassettes and Walkmans, but even they eventually became outdated. Albums are now available in full at the touch of a digital button, and due to their larger size, nobody wants to carry around a portable CD player when they already have their phone.
CRT Televisions
Also known as picture tubes, CRT televisions were a staple for homes, mostly because they were the only option! TVs have come a long way since, and now homes are dominated by flat-screen LCD displays hooked up to fast internet connections. Though CRT does still have its retro appeal.
Handheld Electronic Organizers
Electronic organizers were handy devices for productivity and keeping track of things on the go. Many homes had them, but now they’ve been replaced by smartphones and tablets. Electronic organizers may have been a symbol of early mobile technology, but now they’re a relic of the past.
Answering Machines
The first home answering machine was invented in 1949 in Milwaukee, reports MPM, and it had a good run. Inevitably, the traditional home answering machine you could check when returning home from work was eventually replaced by digital smartphone voicemail.
Disposable Cameras
Every home had that one drawer that had a disposable camera in it, either blank or that hadn’t been developed yet. While Polaroid still has vintage appeal, photography is now dominated by digital photography, and most people prefer to only use phones instead of carrying around an additional camera.
Electric Can Openers
This one might actually be a surprise, with many people switching back to manual over electric can openers. Manual can openers are praised for their simplicity and are less likely to malfunction, meaning you’d struggle to find a home that has an electric can opener instead of a manual one!
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