9 Things in Your Home That Won’t Exist in 10 Years
Updated: Jun. 22, 2020While some items may maintain vintage appeal, technological advances are phasing out some of these common household items.
Cable
Hundreds of channels? Turns out, people aren’t as interested anymore with streaming services like Netflix. “Those channels are not getting the viewership,” says Sonia Chernova, director of the Robot Autonomy and Interactive Learning Lab at Georgia Tech. Bundles don’t make sense, but companies may start offering more a la carte options, she says. Although, find out the smart home device people trust the least.
Alarm clocks
That old clock radio that used to blare on your bedside stand? Likely already gone. “There’s so much more flexibility with your phone,” Chernova says.
Home phones
While landlines still make sense in some workplaces, with the wide use of cellphones, “the home phone is very much in danger of extinction at this point,” Chernova says. Just about 42.8 percent of American households still used a landline as of December 2017, according to the CDC.
Checkbooks
Americans pay more than half their bills online, according to a 2017 survey. They’re also buying products through services like Paypal and Venmo. “Checkbooks are definitely on the decline,” says Chernova, “due to worries about security as well as practical reasons.”
Stereos
Dedicated music players such as stereos are becoming more of a rarity in homes. “Everyone’s using other devices, such as cellphones with Bluetooth speakers at this point,” Chernova says. Looking to upgrade? Here are 15 home devices that are worth the investment.
DVD player
Even if you wanted to watch some older movies, you can’t get a new Mac with a DVD player anymore. While there’s a lot to be said for the selection of films that may never make it to Netflix, you can’t beat the convenience. Find out the coolest tech products to get.
Streaming boxes
The Roku and FireStick were intermediate solutions for people who didn’t have smart TVs. But the market for them is going away. “The smart TVs come with the technology built into them already,” Chernova says.
Photo albums
With cell phones, people are taking more photos than ever. But they’re storing them in the cloud and using digital picture services such as Aura Frames to organize and display their family photos. “Photo albums don’t even cross our kids’ mind,” Chernova says.
MP3 players
While some people still like the idea of keeping a music player separate from their phone, products such as iPods became less popular once cell phones became capable of the same functionality as MP3 players, according to Chernova. Next, find out 40 cool tech gifts you’ll want to keep for yourself.