The very best in obsolete and failed technology...

mickdw · 08-02-2014 11:01AM

MonstaMash wrote: »

Electronic voting machines

Obsolete before they were even introduced.

dirkmeister · 08-02-2014 11:11AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm amazed that the humble audio cassette tape hasn't been mentioned, it revolutionised our lives in the 70s. We could just tape the songs rather than have to buy the records (another obsolete) media.

Although technology is moving on, Record sales are climbing constantly with the last few years. There seems to be a new love for vinyl.

08-02-2014 11:13AM

mike_ie wrote: »

...or your age

In the words of Tommy Tiernan....

Not a huge fan of Tommy Tiernan by that quote about taping off the radio is laugh out loud funny

MonstaMash · 08-02-2014 11:25AM

dirkmeister wrote: »

Although technology is moving on, Record sales are climbing constantly with the last few years. There seems to be a new love for vinyl.

Nothing like the sound of putting a needle on vinyl.

daymobrew · 08-02-2014 11:31AM

mickdw wrote: »

Obsolete before they were even introduced.

I voted with them in my area once. I liked the way the results were available very quickly.

As for the Palm Pilot, I had a few starting at a Palm V that I got for free as my wife worked for Palm. I used the device to store my contacts and it took me a while to let it go when I got an iPod Touch.

I even wrote an app for the Palm - BusSched and TrainSched.

shleedance · 08-02-2014 11:35AM

Desktop computers are getting less popular nowadays. Nearly everyone I see has a laptop.

A shame since the average desktop is cheaper, yet more powerful.

Another one is CRT screens. LCDs pretty much killed it off. Some photographers and graphic designers still use them though for colour accuracy, and retro gamers swear by them.

Michael D Not Higgins · 08-02-2014 11:39AM

shleedance wrote: »

Desktop computers are getting less popular nowadays. Nearly everyone I see has a laptop.

A shame since the average desktop is cheaper, yet more powerful.

Another one is CRT screens. LCD pretty much killed it off.

Depends what you need it for. I have a laptop for work as I travel a lot, but my home computer is a desktop that I built myself with top end specs.

shleedance · 08-02-2014 11:41AM

The custom builds are in the realm of enthusiasts. A minority really.

Michael D Not Higgins · 08-02-2014 11:45AM

shleedance wrote: »

The custom builds are in the realm of enthusiasts. A minority really.

True but to get equivalent specs for the computer as a laptop I would have had to spend twice as much.

People buy laptops when they don't need portability and end up overspending. I wouldn't consider desktops obsolete in any case.

Czarcasm · 08-02-2014 11:49AM

shleedance wrote: »

Desktop computers are getting less popular nowadays. Nearly everyone I see has a laptop.

A shame since the average desktop is cheaper, yet more powerful.

Another one is CRT screens. LCD pretty much killed it off.

I wouldn't call desktops or CRT monitors a failure though, they're around donkeys at this stage (I'm loathe to part with my 19" CRT even though I use a pair of 42" LCD TVs for monitors nowadays! :pac:), how about the netbook though? Now there was a flash in the pan failure! One minute they're the greatest thing since sliced pan, the next thing they're replaced by tablets, which you can write even less on! :mad:

I gave the young lad my netbook as it was just about the right keyboard size and weight as a mini-laptop for him instead of that V-tech toy crap, and I refuse to use a tablet. Again, bought one for the young lad, they're handy for document reviewing, that's about it, best pray you don't have to make any edits though!

08-02-2014 01:09PM

Back massagers, sure they never do anything good, for your back.

Dman001 · 08-02-2014 01:20PM

mike_ie wrote: »

...or your age

In the words of Tommy Tiernan....

Funny you should say that, as I constantly use an App on my phone (TuneIn Radio) to record the radio in the morning and listen to it on my commute to work. My phone doesn't have a FM receiver, and while I could turn on the 3G and stream the radio, I know it'd kill my battery for the day. Funny that, while the technology changes, some habits don't change.

I picked up a Palm Pre a few years back, when the iPhone was taking storm and Android was building momentum. I knew what I was buying, and support for the device was very limited. All the same, I was eager to try something new and have a device different to everyone else. While it sure did have its flaws, I've yet to use a device that can multitask with such ease and some of the gestures you could do on the phone enhanced it's usability so much. With Palms patents being sold off, and HP Licencing WebOS, I really do hope a manufacturer picks up on it and decides to implement it into a device today. Even iOS 7's multitasking imitates that of WebOS, but not to the same extent in usability.

gugleguy · 08-02-2014 01:53PM

BeOS. A Windows like OS. Never really took off with any market segment.

gugleguy · 08-02-2014 02:00PM

The SAM Coupe 8-bit computer. Launched on the market with faulty CPU firmware, this kinda killed any chance the thing had of gaining ground. On the plus side it could run a lot f software designed for the ZX Spectrum on which its architecture was based. In anycass the 8 -bit computer market was in terminal decline.

wendell borton · 08-02-2014 02:00PM

mickdw wrote: »

Go away and educate yourself please.
The tech was flawless which was a stunning achievement given it was designed in 60s.
As for being obsolete, If there was anything that moved the game forward, I would agree but there is nothing even in the horizon that can match it. You cannot even argue that it flawed due to be uneconomical to operate. British airways made alot of money from Concorde for many years once they sorted out pricing structures.

The Tupolev tu 144 aka concordski was better.

AllGunsBlazing · 08-02-2014 02:00PM

Pre-digital age film cameras must be all but gone now?

gizmo555 · 08-02-2014 02:02PM

daymobrew wrote: »

I voted with them in my area once. I liked the way the results were available very quickly.

Would you prefer quick or accurate in an election count? The main problem with the Nedap evoting system was that there was no way to prove that the votes had been accurately recorded and counted. It was unauditable by design.

Michael D Not Higgins · 08-02-2014 02:02PM

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Pre-digital age film cameras must be all but gone now?

Again, not a failed technology

Wibbs · 08-02-2014 02:02PM

wendell borton wrote: »

The Tupolev tu 144 aka concordski was better.

Eh no it wasn't. It was beset with problems from the get go and had a dodgy safety record. No way in hell would it have been able to do the regular civilian flights that Concorde did.

bockeys jollocks · 08-02-2014 02:04PM

HD DVD players, I thought they were better picture than blu-ray.

Czarcasm · 08-02-2014 02:12PM

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Pre-digital age film cameras must be all but gone now?

That reminds me! How did I forget!

I still have a JVC analog MiniDV camcorder, it uses MiniDV tapes as opposed to the VHS-C tapes that were popular for a long time, but MiniDV didn't last long when HD hard disk camcorders came out, I spent €650 on one of those, they were sub-€300 a year later because the arse fell out of the consumer market with the rise in the camera quality of smartphones! Have you SEEN the quality on the Galaxy S4? :eek:

Still sticking with my Nokia N8 for now though, fcuking swiss army knife of smartphones, that and the N95, both game changers when they were released!

AllGunsBlazing · 08-02-2014 02:19PM

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Again, not a failed technology

OK then, disc cameras. The photographic equivalent of luminously coloured leg warmers.:p

Capt'n Midnight · 08-02-2014 02:22PM

Obsolete technology

steel tubed diamond frame bicycle - dates from 1880 , still the most common one in use even though we now have recumbents and carbon fibre

R7 Missile 1957 and Soyuz spacecraft 1966 - the only way for astronauts to get to the ISS

The Americans have a saying "if it works it's obsolete"

This is why they waste so much time and effort reinventing the wheel, especially for stuff that "wasn't invented here".

Vinyl, it's obsolete. All it has going for it is touchy feely and great album covers. Digital would have replaced it by now except for loudness wars and general incompetence from music industry.

Captain Chaos · 08-02-2014 02:24PM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Obsolete technology

steel tubed diamond frame bicycle - dates from 1880 , still the most common one in use even though we now have recumbents and carbon fibre

R7 Missile 1957 and Soyuz spacecraft 1966 - the only way for astronauts to get to the ISS

The Americans have a saying "if it works it's obsolete"

This is why they waste so much time and effort reinventing the wheel, especially for stuff that "wasn't invented here".

Vinyl, it's obsolete. All it has going for it is touchy feely and great album covers. Digital would have replaced it by now except for loudness wars and general incompetence from music industry.

How has any of that failed??? Point missed.

Tokyo · 08-02-2014 02:26PM

Probably the first item of 'tech' that I remember, and coveted every time I saw one one somebody's wrist - the Casio Calculator Watch.

Back in 1982, three year old me had a fascination for anything with an LCD and buttons (which was very little back then). Never mind that I only had the barest grasp of the concept of numbers - this thing had 20 buttons and a screen!

In reality, the watch was the greatest piece of **** on God's green earth, since the keyboard was practically impossible to use. You basically had to stab the buttons really hard with a sharp fingernail or pen, which was also a pretty good way to damage it with pen/stab marks. Regardless, to a three year old me, it was the coolest thing in the world...

Czarcasm · 08-02-2014 02:28PM

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

OK then, disc cameras. The photographic equivalent of luminously coloured leg warmers.:p

Actually Polaroid cameras seem to make a re-emergence every decade, a bit like 3D tech, Polaroid and 3D were only ever any good for one thing, and one thing only...

As someone mentioned earlier, format wars have been won and lost their ease to produce and distribute porn!

Tokyo · 08-02-2014 02:28PM

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Pre-digital age film cameras must be all but gone now?

Not by a long shot. I still use slide film where I want the highest quality shot possible.....

Capt'n Midnight · 08-02-2014 02:44PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

How has any of that failed??? Point missed.

By implication everything that tried to replace it failed.

The Space Shuttle.

All the other types of bikes , except specialised bikes optimised for one task.

Like I said "If it works it's obsolete" we live in an age where there is change for changes sake.

Now often do new products have problems that weren't there in the original version.

Stuff like the Click Of Death in later Iomega Zip Drives.

Any number of hard drives that are less reliable than older models.

The capacitor plague that means a lot of the electronic equipment from the mid 90's to a few years ago won't live as long as older stuff.

Dravokivich · 08-02-2014 03:04PM

Hd-vhs was developed during dvd's life cycle, but couldnt compete with bluray/hddvd.

EyeSight · 08-02-2014 03:12PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

How has any of that failed??? Point missed.

Thread title says failed and obsolete...

The very best in obsolete and failed technology...

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