As technology developed, we started believing that new gadgets we were presented with would change the world and how we live our everyday lives.
While this is true to some extent, there were gadgets that were very innovative at the time but did not last long, mostly because newer and better versions replaced them.
What was once considered cool and life-changing soon became ‘dated’ and impractical. Technology started developing too fast, and there are many inventions we loved that are now mostly forgotten.
Here are just some of those gadgets to remind you how fast we went from cool to awesome.
1. LaserDiscs: The Giant CDs That Were Supposed to Kill VHS
We all loved our VHS, and we remember endless nights watching new movies on them. Then, we realized we needed something lighter and more elegant, so we got DVDs. But, before DVDs came along, LaserDiscs were all the hype.
They looked like something straight out of Star Trek movies, and we thought they were the future. They surely offered sharper video and better sound than VHS, which made many people switch to them.
However, the discs were enormous, and so were the players, so it did not feel like such an upgrade.
Another downside was that you had to flip them halfway through a movie, and that surely did not feel very futuristic.
Despite the tech promise, people thought that their price was not worth it, so they soon became unpopular.
2. Segways: The Two-Wheeled Invention That Was Going to Replace Walking
The Segway was considered a revolutionary transportation device that we would use, which would make our cities look a bit more futuristic.
It was supposed to replace bikes and even walking as it was fast, required no energy, and was easy to use. However, it was expensive, bulky, and many did not see it as a replacement for the bikes.
People loved walking and biking to places because it represented a sort of exercise as well. And for everything else, there were cars.
Today, we do have similar versions of it used and rented by some people, but Segways did not last long.
3. MiniDisc Players: The Compact Audio Tech That Almost Worked
Cassettes were all the hype back in the day, and they reigned supreme for decades. However, before CDs, we had MiniDiscs, which were sleek, rewritable, and had great sound quality.
This was a huge step toward futurism compared to cassettes and Vinyl. For a moment, we thought that MiniDiscs might totally take over the music world.
But as CDs gained popularity, and we got our MP3s, they were soon forgotten. And let’s not forget digital downloads and smartphones; MiniDiscs could never beat them.
4. 3D TVs: When Every Living Room Was Supposed to Go Three-Dimensional
If you were a kid during the birth of 3D everything, you remember how excited we got when there was a possibility to have this magic in our own homes.
3D TV was something we all wanted because it meant watching movies, soccer, and even news as if we were right there. Everyone thought that we would not be going back to the old TV ever again.
However, when we realized that we had to wear 3D glasses for it to work, and we learned that 3D content was limited, we quickly switched back to the standard flat-screen TV and never doubted it again.
Sometimes futuristic does not mean better, and we learned it with 3D.
5. The Clamshell Cellphone: Peak Cool That Aged Fast
After big and chunky mobile phones from the late ’90s, we witnessed everything becoming smaller, thinner, and more practical.
Clamshell phones were truly compact, sturdy, and made answering calls feel dramatic.
There was no better feeling than having a heated argument with your friend and hanging up on them on a clamshell cellphone, right?
They could fit in your pocket, and they featured some amazing new additions that we all loved. We thought they would stay around forever.
However, when smartphones entered the market, everyone was obsessed with touch screens and apps. Suddenly, clamshell cellphones were left in the past, and now only 2000s nostalgic teens own them.
6. PDAs: Personal Digital Assistants Before Smartphones Took Over
We used to have PDAs like the PalmPilot before we had iPhones and Androids. They seemed very high-tech at the time, and everyone wanted to have one (from businesspeople to students).
You were able to write down notes, check your calendar, and even send contacts to someone else using infrared.
PDAs became digital dinosaurs as soon as phones could accomplish all of that and more.
They walked so that iPhones could run and then run fast.
7. Google Glass: The Future You Could Wear on Your Face (Until It Got Weird)
You probably remember the time when Google Glass appeared on the market. All tech nerds were excited for this futuristic-looking gadget that projected data in front of your eyes.
It felt like living in a sci-fi movie, and we were all amazed. It totally made us think: “The future is here”. However, the public started getting creeped out by people wearing these things because they were basically cameras on their faces.
It raised privacy concerns, and Google Glass quietly disappeared. Now we see it as a brave experiment that pushed the boundaries, but we just do not think the general population was ready for it to become a norm.
