CDs, Blu-ray, or DVDs
Cable TV
Thumb Drives
With the availability of so much space in the cloud, it’s really not necessary to carry around a USB flash drive anymore. Not to mention, they get lost or stolen, and if you use say, Office 365, your documents are available anywhere via OneDrive. Of course, if we don’t advise storing sensitive files in the cloud — that included embarrassing pictures!
Desktop Computer
Back in the day, everyone had a big bulky desktop computer and CRT monitor on a desk in their home. But now with software tech going the way of touch apps, and hardware going the way of 2-in-1 convertible laptops, you shouldn’t need a stand-alone bulky and power consuming PC. Of course, there’s always exceptions to every rule. If you’re a hard-core gamer, need tons of horsepower for video editing, enjoy building your own PC, or have a NAS or media server, these types of enthusiasts will still want their boxes that can be upgraded over time.
MP3 Player
Unless you’re a hard core audiophile, there is no reason to buy a dedicated music player ever again. Apple is cutting back on its production of its once popular iPod, as customer demand has steadily declined for such devices. Since you already have your phone, it makes no sense to spend the extra cash for a dedicated MP3 player. Audiophile’s still enjoying specialized devices for music like the Pono Player or the Sony Walkman ZX2 which both do one thing and do it well – play high-quality music. But for most people, a streaming music service and podcasts work for an audio fix. . These are just a few of the tech items you shouldn’t need to buy again. What are some of the things you can think of that you’ll never buy again — floppy disks and zip drives don’t count, they are already dead. I buy BD disks often. We are in the country with only a DSL line. None of the streaming stuff comes close to the resolution of a BD disk. And I’m one of those nutty people who thinks more hardware is better. I’ve got a desktop in my office, one for the wife in the office, one in my workshop on the lower level, two hooked up to my model railroad and a server in the utility room. Not to mention the 3 NAS units, with 30+ TB of space, for storage of stuff. Can’t have too much “stuff”. Cable Box – Since the majority of what is watched in our house are current affairs analysis shows, they are not available on the web. Sorry. CD, DVD, Blu-Ray – Our household is bilingual. That is, we watch using two languages. One language is audio and the other is CC. You can’t do this with online purchases. Thumb Drive – We maintain two networks in the house. One is completely disconnected from the Internet for security reasons. Thumb Drives are the best means to transfer the files. Sorry. Desktop computers – Have yet to find a laptop that can handle the number crunching I do. Plus, can add parts easier on a desktop. MP3 Player… OK, I will give you this one. It gets comical: I see users back up their ENTIRE hard drive to a remote unknown facility somewhere, there is no ned to hack that user, ALL of their personal data is compromised!!! Predictions are good, but do not always come true no matter how much the naysayers want them to become reality. Will tablets or cell phones overtake desktops and laptops, someday, maybe, but not in the near future. Brian needs to broaden his scope of thinking, not everyone lives in the “Big City”. Rural users have different needs than inner-city people. Which reminds me, it wasn’t that long ago that the remote office was going to be the new trend, everyone was going to work from home. Thanks to the original list coming from a radio station, I’ve had the fun of getting back into their coverage – and they’re playing the same songs I was just listening to. Comment
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