With the scientific and technological progress in most areas in our contemporary life, and the extensive use of technology, with all that there were old devices that were helpful in the past. They still are but not as much as modern technology which is faster, more accurate, and time saver. But many, especially older generations, still cannot forget the old devices used in the past days and now are considered outdated.
Modern devices like laptops, smartphones, etc., which are fast, small, accurate, and could be carried everywhere, made the old devices less desirable. Nevertheless, some devices are categorized outdated but still used and favored by some people who see no use of replacing them with modern devices as long as they do the job and satisfy them. Following we introduce you ten old devices that still used.
10 Typewriter
The typewriter was invented in the 1860s, and it was the only typing machine in the world at that time. Many may think of it as an outdated technology that has no more use, but it is not true. Some writers still use typewriters in various fields. The device is useful in places with problems in the electricity supply as happening in India. The court uses the typewriter in typing the cases. Among its cherished benefits is that it forces you to think and concentrate on writing without mistakes as there is no chance to re-correct or delete what you wrote down. It’s astonishing that the governmental agencies revive the use of the typewriter as it guarantees accuracy and also helps to avoid spying and leaks made by laptops and computers.
2 Dot-matrix printers
While they operate slower than their modern counterparts, they do offer some advantages that certain companies require. These printers handle multi-part forms much more efficiently than laser or ink-jet printers, as they don’t make an impact to put the ink on the paper, they can’t imprint on multiple sheets of paper at the same time. Also, dot matrix printers can print on continuous paper, not separate sheets.
8 VHS and cassette tapes
For some time they were the only source of entertainment at homes and every home has sleeves full of VHS tapes and cassette. They were used by all the family members to see films and cartoons. VHS tapes were also used to record everything from the TV and to record the camera videos as well, as there were no CDs at that time. And there were stores for the VHS Tapes where you can rent movies for some days to watch. Cassette tapes were used to listen to music. The cassettes were not expensive, small and you can carry it anywhere. The manufacturers of cassettes published that the sales increased 31% between the years 2014 – 2015 because of a tape by Justin Bieber.
The DVDs and CDs almost put an end to the VHS and cassette tapes. But some people still use them; and also Amazon and Wal-Mart still selling blank tapes that you can use.
7 Internet Dial-up connection
Do you remember the time when you had to connect the phone line using the desktop of your computer to get an Internet connection? The days when you connected with a speed 32K and were used to hear the notification sound when getting an e-mail. Time moves fast, and today there are new and easier ways to connect to the internet than the Dial-up. But we cannot forget the Dial-up connection and how it helped us to connect to the internet. And the fact that would probably surprise you is that although there is high-speed Internet access offered to the users everywhere in the world, around five million users are still using modem connection to go online and browse the internet!
6 Classic cash registers
In the past, the cash register was quite a discovery; but now, with modern technology, it’s making its way towards extinction. We cannot deny that it was helpful in the past, but the modern cash register is more advanced than the classic one that appeared in the early 20th century. With the appearance of the iPads as POSes, the cash register has become more advanced. And the new systems of the iPad and cash drawer are working great.
5 Floppy Disks
Floppy Disks appeared in the 1980s. The computer users used it to save a few kilobytes of data and information on it. Back then they did not have other choices, but today modern technology has fixed the problem of the low storage spaces for data. Now there are huge hard drivers, USB flashes, CDs, DVDs, cloud storage, and emails that allow users to store thousands of data and information without caring about the low storage. The surprise is that the Federal Register in the United States is still saving the documents digitally using floppy disks and send them to any destination by couriers.
Some have found another practical use of floppy disks.
4 Phone Books
In most places in the US and many other countries, some people still use Phone books. Phone books are something that is delivered to everyone to the door; now you could retrieve phone numbers much quicker with a simple online search. Approximately Seven out of 10 Americans never or rarely use a phone book, but it is still being delivered to everyone to their home doors.
3 Pay Phones
Why was the payphone important? Payphones were quite famous and vital for low-income users who can’t buy cell phones and don’t have a landline to communicate, or the people who have cell phones but the battery runs out of charge while they want to make calls. The payphone is the solution to all this. It seems an outdated trend, but surprisingly there are about 305,000 in the US still using them according to the American Public Communications Council.
2 Fax machines
It was invented in 1843 and used to send documents over the phone. They use it for it is more secure. Although digital scans are available today, accurate and faster than faxes, some people still prefer fax machines and rely on paper faxes. Now, we also have e-mails that we can print on paper, and scanning information with good resolution is available too.
1 CRT screens
Who does not know a CRT screen? It seems a weird question as of course there is a generation grow up on the CRT screen. It is very hard to find it now, but it still does its mission perfectly. Modern technology has played a role in discovering new screens such as LCDs, LEDs, and plasmas that have more options than the CRT screens. They are flat, lighter, of high resolution and suitable for any place. And now more users could afford them and enjoy their practical benefits such as providing more space. And when we take about the design and form, it has a unique shape. All this made the CRT screens usage significantly reduces.
And finally, although there are new advances in modern technology, some old devices are still routinely used by a variety of people for different purposes. Some users simply do not need many benefits; the machine does its job and satisfying their needs. Those prefer contemporary technologies use them for more accurate, faster, and more advanced reasons; new pieces like smartphones combine lots of features at one device, Making the older technology not desirable for many. However, with all the modern technology available everywhere, it’s interesting to have a moment to look back and remember the older devices we used just a few years ago but have now become obsolete.