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2003 BCE
Paper roadmaps
In 1697, John Ogilby was a cartographer who produced one of the first roadmaps that would lead to printed roadmaps, which later on was an important necessity to have for road trips. But the drop in map printing didn't begin till around 2003. They became obsolete mainly because affordable GPS units became more popular Christmas presents. And when the GPS came along, followed by many apps on our smartphones, they made paper road maps an obsolete object. And fewer people started using paper maps. -
Cassette tape players
As a replacement for vinyl, cassettes were groundbreaking for listening to your specific song choices on the go. After the first portable cassette tape players were made available to the general public for convenient recording, sharing, and playing of music, the cassette tape evolved into the standard audio format from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. By the early 2000s, cassette tapes had become almost nonexistent, because of more album releases occurring solely on vinyl or CD. -
Portable TVs
With portable TV, you could also watch (minimal channels) TV on the go with the help of the small portable TVs. In 1970, Panasonic released the first TV which was small enough to fit in a large pocket. And from there it took off and people started liking it. Until, the 2000s, People quickly began to replace the box television sets. And started using Smart TVs, because they offered a combination of both traditional television and the plethora of growing streaming services. -
Fax machines
This device digitizes material with a scanner to send and receive printed pages over the telephone lines. Fax machine usage in commerce became widespread during the 1960s after Xerox patented the first modern fax machine. In 1966, a fax machine could print many documents in many businesses. However, as technology was improving, it wasn't till the late 1980s to the mid-2000s when the fax machines became obsolete because of online emails. people liked using emails because it saved paper and time. -
Apple iPod
No need for CDs or cassettes. An iPod could hold an estimated 1,000 songs. The original iPod was introduced on October 23, 2001, and instantly became popular. Because was the first MP3 player to pack a mind-blowing it had 1,000 songs and a 10-hour battery. So people were drawn to it. But, then when iPhones came in the market, iPods started becoming obsolete. In 2007, people started using more phones, instead of iPods. Making it obsolete, and allowing customers to be drawn more towards iPhones. -
Public telephones
Phone booths became most popular in the 1950s, phonebooths were an invention for ordinary people. It was a coin-operated public telephone accessible for anyone to use. All you needed was some coins and a phone number. But, then in 2007, the exit of the pay phones from the market was officially announced. They became obsolete because of new cell phones. You still have to pay for your calls, just in monthly plans. Phone booths are now rarely seen, they're mostly seen from time to time in cities. -
Blockbuster Videos
Blockbuster started becoming the most popular in 1988, it became the leading video-store chain in the US with 800 stores. And then in 2000, Blockbuster made the mistake of not buying Netflix, and because of this Netflix went on to become even more popular and more profitable than Blockbuster. In 2002, Blockbuster's other big competitor, Redbox, launched. Blockbuster started making major changes in the early 2000s that would ultimately lead to its downfall or become obsolete. -
Encyclopedias
The encyclopedias became very popular in Antiquity and were one of the first classical manuscripts to be printed in 1470. It had information of Roman information on the Roman world and especially Roman art. A collection of summarized knowledge was a key to learning for those without access to information. But, the 2010 version of it was the last printed edition. Because it got outmoded by the internet and became obsolete. Since 2016, it has been published exclusively as an online encyclopedia. -
Phonebooks
Everyone was delivered free phonebooks. Simply open the book and search alphabetically for the person or company you want to contact. The first phonebook consisting of apiece of cardboard, was issued on 21 February 1878. But, then became obsolete because of online directories. They became obsolete on Oct. 14, 2010. An additional factor is the death of the landline. There was no need to thumb through the Yellow Pages to find the correct phone number. It's online or already saved in your contacts. -
Floppy disks
These little devices were used to store data from your computer. It was the perfect way to transfer data from one device to another. Floppy disks were popular from the 1970s until the late 1990s when they were supplanted by the increasing use of e-mail attachments and other means to transfer files from computer to computer. However, many point to 2011 as the year the floppy disk died. They were outmoded by flash drives (and CDs), making floppy dicks obsolete.