Technology is ever-changing and ever-evolving. This makes the rate of obsolescence in the technology industry faster than any other industry. The technologies that look so much part of our lives right now may fade completely in the next few years. Remember the age of pagers, photocopiers, walkmans and analogue cameras and how these devices ruled our lives till just a few years back. In the same way many technologies which are currently an integral part of our lives will disappear in the next decade. Here are 10 such gadgets that may cease to exist in the next 10 years.
Smartphones
As surprising as it may sound, smartphone, which currently is the gadget that almost dominates our lives, may become obsolete in the coming decade. In another ten years, we would probably be carrying our data everywhere and be able to access it from just anywhere, for instance via a glass-based screen on our office table, or maybe via displays in the form of walls. As for calls, we will probably use wireless earbuds, something like the Moto Hint or the Samsung Gear Icon X.
Plastic money
Over the last many years, plastic money has become one of the most popular means of financial transaction. However, in another ten years, it may go missing. You may simply be able to order stuff online and the assistant, integrated with your bank accounts, may do the rest.
Wall-mounted TVs
Yes, those LCD, LED TVs that adorn the walls in our houses too may disappear. Instead, these slim TVs may be replaced by mirror-finished displays. Some variations of these are already there in the market, but are still to become mainstream.
Remote controls
Remote controls too are likely to exit from the appliance space. Most devices and appliances in future are likely to be controlled by gestures and voice. For instance, we already have bulbs that are triggered with motion sensors or air conditioners, which automatically switch on and off when they sense a moving body in the range.
Cordless landline
Cordless telephones are likely to get replaced with tiny microphones placed everywhere around us. So whatever we say, in any part of our house, our voice will be transmitted without any breaks. Virtual assistants too are likely to be there to alert, like about an incoming call.
Laptops
Laptops too may become a thing of the past in next 10 years. Most of us may probably be working on virtual keyboards projected on a tablet or wall. Table surfaces too may function as screens. This may also give a huge boost to tele-commuting by removing the need of travelling to office everyday. As far as face-to-face interactions go, we may likely be connected via wireless webcams with microphones.
Desktops
Like laptops, desktops too may meet the same fate. After all, who wants to keep a huge desktop at home when they can simply carry their data around anywhere in the world and do the same work on any display.
Classic analog watches
Classic analog watches are increasingly going out of fashion. With tech giants coming up with more efficient and multitasking smartwatches, we might be the last ones to see analog watches. Some companies are even trying to merge analog style with digitization but this may not work after a few years. The smartwatches are also likely to get new features such as short throw projector to show keyboards or dial pads.
External hard drives
One might not require portable hard drives as everything seems set to shift to cloud. We already have multiple services to store contact information, media files, office presentation and more in cloud. In the next 10 years, everything may go cloud-based. Google Photos, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box and other such services are likely to grow further in future.
Speakers
Speakers too are likely to be replaced with more efficient and compact ones that may become a part of our home decor. These will be hidden in plain sight and will stream audio wirelessly using Bluetooth connectivity. We might also be able to simply tell our virtual assistant to play a song and it’ll do just that.