Have you ever wondered why some technologies stay relevant, while others fade into the history books? Even though we have many alternatives, people still use wristwatches and physical cables, while other inventions like mp3 players and VHS tapes have all but disappeared in society.
Today we will take a closer look at some of the enduring technologies, pay homage to those that are no longer in use, while exploring how technology evolves and what makes some things stay current, while others get replaced. Enjoy!
The Timeless Utility of Certain Technologies
One of the main reason that some technologies keep existing while others are forgotten, is that they fulfill a crucial need that stays the same over time. Take cables and wiring for instance, while we have bluetooth and other wireless technologies in place, physical connections remain important and widely used to this day.
Whether it is due to the better quality of signals, such as ethernet cables vs WiFi networks, or whether it is because industrial needs for custom cables assemblies keep expanding, some technologies survive many different iterations and new inventions, simply because they are the best at what they need to do.
Other inventions are being adapted and upgraded, so instead of being directly replaced they are instead outdated. A good example of this would be the processors we use in our computers, smartphones and more. Over time they have been improved so much we can hardly compare 20 year old microchips with modern ones.
Not only are the older chips less reliable, they are nowhere near as efficient, as they are incredibly slow compared to modern ones. But for cables and wiring, physical cables are still every bit as fast, or even faster in many cases, compared to wireless connection methods, which is why cable assembly services are still thriving in this day and age.
The Revival of Forgotten Technologies
Going back to VHS tapes for instance, they were adapted and improved upon by the invention of the DVD, before that was replaced by Bluray. But now all of these technologies have pretty much been replaced by online streaming.
This is not just because streaming is more efficient for the user, as they get access to many more titles at their fingertips, they can also watch whatever they like without visiting physical stores, often for a much cheaper price than a single VHS tape or DVD would cost due to the monthly subscription service.
On the other hand, vinyl records and analog cameras should in theory also be completely gone from society, however they continue to live on albeit in a niche sort of way. These days people consider them nostalgic and fun, while some people even prefer the sound of a vinyl to streaming the same song on Spotify for instance.
Whether vinyl records will keep being popular and used by people 10 or 20 years in the future is hard to say. However, some older technologies seem to have life in them that was impossible to predict, proving that obsolescence is not always permanent or even certain.
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