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Remember the thigh toner? Or wine stoppers shaped like gnomes? There are items that stand the test of time – and others, not so much. Trends change. Tastes change. People move on from things that seem exceedingly popular one day, and then seem tired the next.
Sometimes it’s less about the product being strange – how about those transparent shower curtains with pockets for your electronics? – and more about a product that once reigned coming to the end of its prime time. It can be surprising. Here are three once-mighty products we found that people just aren’t buying anymore.
CDs
Remember those? Not so long ago, they were everything to everyone. They burst onto the scene around 1982, along with their players that could cost upwards of $1000 and more. Some of us chucked out our cassettes and our albums for the shine and efficiency of these high-tech wonders. The first CD released commercially in the United States was, fittingly, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” By 1993 CDs were outselling cassettes and by the early 2000s cassettes were virtually extinct. Do you have kids? Do they even know what a cassette tape is? Well, now the same thing might be happening with CDS.
Why are CDs on the decline? The answer is clear. There are more efficient, quicker, and accessible ways to enjoy multimedia. Whether any variation of the USB family, expandable storage drives, or streaming services, these discs are more likely to be coasters or clutter than used to enjoy music these days.
DVD/Blu-ray Discs
Did you have a wall of movies? Or know someone who did? Movie lovers love their collections – big or small, they cherished their wall of favourite flicks. That’s also changing. DVDs (digital video discs, in case you’ve ever wondered) burst onto the movie watching scene in the mid-90s. They were better in every way than the previously enjoyed VHS tapes. They could fit more (VHS movies that required multiple tapes easily fit on 1 DVD disc) and they were faster (no more hoping for bullseye focus when rewinding or fast forwarding). Plus, you could play them from more and more devices available on the market.
Why are they on the decline? Like their cousin, the CD, there are simply more advanced ways to enjoy visual entertainment. The big player in this game is streaming services. Netflix is the biggie, with an estimated six million subscribers in Canada, but it certainly isn’t the only one. A recent report suggests 10.6 million Canadian households will be signed up with streaming services by 2020. This is a trend that is not going away, not like the once super-popular DVD.
Digital Cameras
Photography is a passion for millions of people. The first camera went on sale in 1888, and people haven’t stopped buying them since. But the type of cameras people are buying? That has changed dramatically, as well know. The now reigning digital camera really hit a peak just prior to the smartphone craze (foreshadowing intended), as all major camera and tech companies alike were battling for shelf space to show off their newest, sleekest, most powerful digital camera Today, whether you have an actual digital camera, or just use your phone like so many of us do, picture taking has changed forever. People love to snap shots of their daily lives – and their salads and cats and whatever else, and load them up to social media sites. Reports indicate people will take upwards of 1.2 trillion digital photos this year. Bye bye clunky, chunky film cameras. Some of us will always miss you.
Yup. Our top three list of items going extinct belong on the tech list. The verdict is in. Better technology = rapid decline.
What have you stopped buying? What “can’t live without this” item can you actually live quite easily without? We’d love to hear! Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
