Technology is constantly advancing, and it isn’t far-fetched to believe that this progression will only speed up with time. This means great things for the convenience of many and the advancement of civilization as a whole. Still, it also means that many older pieces of technology are quickly becoming obsolete. Here are some technological innovations that are doomed to find a place near the VCR or the flip phone in the coming years.
USB Drives
Originally replacing other innovations like CDs and floppy disks due to their smaller size and larger storage space, the USB drive is now facing a new competitor in cloud storage. Cloud storage offers better security and limitless space, which may quickly lead to USB drives becoming obsolete.
Digital Cameras
The camera technology offered by smartphones is quickly catching up to the quality of a digital camera. The closer smartphones get to closing the gap, the more likely it is that digital cameras will become obsolete due to being less convenient for the average consumer, leaving them in the same place they put film cameras two decades ago.
Cable TV
As streaming services offer deals to compete with each other, the one who is being hurt the most is cable. Research firm eMarketer has found that 33 million adults in the United States cut the cord on their cable or satellite provider. That number is only expected to keep rising as more streaming options become available.
Passwords
Apple and Samsung have already started using biometric authentication, which uses either your fingerprint or face shape to log into your device. This is considered more secure and more convenient than the traditional login/password combination. As more applications and devices embrace biometric authentication, it is likely that passwords will be gradually shifted out of technology and become obsolete.
The Computer Mouse
The traditional computer mouse has already lost some steam after the tech world embraced both the trackpad and the touchscreen, but it managed to weather the storm and still finds use today, but this may not last much longer. Open-air gesture control, which uses virtual and augmented reality to allow you to command your computer with hand motions, is expected to begin replacing the mouse and possibly the keyboard in the coming years, potentially leading to an increase in productivity.