Ok-Abbreviations9212 , Pixabay/pexels Report
However, he noted that consumers don’t always come to this idea on their own. “Marketing plays a huge role, painting the latest gadgets as must-haves for a modern lifestyle. Additionally, there’s a cultural bias towards the new and novel, equating modernity with superiority. However, this mindset overlooks the fact that some older inventions possess qualities that newer ones can’t replicate. They often offer simplicity, durability, and a tactile experience that digital counterparts lack.”
C02_Maverick , Athena Sandrini/pexels Report
Granny_knows_best , Leeloo The First/pexels Report
“Put simply—analog technology enables us to feel closer to the mechanisms of the work itself. And to the extent that certain consumers value this connection, there will always be a niche market of products for them.”
OliveJuiceII , Andrea Piacquadio/pexels Report
Wisdomofpearl , Francesco Paggiaro/pexels Report
Sweatytubesock , Eduardo Romero/pexels Report
“I have a cell, but a cell doesn’t give you the ability to send or receive calls for the entire house at one time, by default. With several extensions or remote receivers around, anybody at the house can pick up or check the messages on the answering machine. The caller doesn’t have to decide which of several people to call. And of course, instant conference call at the house being called, if appropriate,” the author told us.
“Also, we live in an area prone to prolonged rainstorms/atmospheric rivers, natural disasters, forest fires, landslides, wind storms, you name it. Old-school landlines on copper wires also stay up even if the power is out and the phone lines are on the ground. Landlines get their power through the copper lines. We’ve lost power for a couple of days and the landline kept working. Cell towers are only starting to have that kind of backup.”
AotKT , Raduz/pexels Report
sator-2D-rotas , George Becker/pexels Report
Super-Diver-1266 , Lukas/pexels Report
Bored Panda was also curious about what newer tech the author also finds useful. “Search engines are God’s gift to civilization. Especially if you grew up without them and had to go down to the library for everything, and they didn’t have what you wanted, or lost it, or it was checked out. And it completely bugs me that people who came of age in the last ten years or so don’t seem to use them,” u/Tall_Mickey said that despite the easy access to information, some individuals seem to avoid using it.
“I moderate a Reddit sub for my city, and people would rather post random questions (When is the local XYZ festival happening) rather than doing an easy search. Social media has got them used to just asking, not getting. Even AI won’t solve this, because to get the right answer needs the right question, and even that takes research.”
juxtaposition-1 , Chrissie Sternschnuppe/flickr Report
AmericanScream , cottonbro studio/pexels Report
brookish , Skylar Kang/pexels Report
From u/Tall_Mickey’s perspective, newer technology might be easier or quicker to use, but that’s not the same as it being better or more powerful. “These technologies give help that is easy to get, but are very limited, sometimes intentionally slow, compared to old-school techniques.”
wwaxwork , Andrew Gustar/flickr Report
General_Sea3871 , Rhonda/flickr Report
Aunt-jobiska , George Milton/pexels Report
For example, it’s only this year, in 2024, that Japan has finally waved adieu to floppy disks. The BBC reports that until very recently, individuals were still asked to submit documents to the Japanese government on floppy disks, with over a thousand regulations to keep in mind. It took three years to complete the switch after Digital Minister Taro Kono declared war on floppy disks back in 2021.
Floppy disks, which were created in the 1960s, started falling out of use in the 1990s with improvements in data storage. In 2011, Sony, the last manufacturer of these disks, finally stopped producing them.
Minimum_Sugar_8249 , Pixabay/pexels Report
Dazzling-Treacle1092 , cottonbro studio/pexels Report
HornyOldBoomer , Tirachard Kumtanom/pexels Report
Just because a company comes out with a newer model of their top product doesn’t make the older one obsolete. The newer model might have some functions missing that the older ones have. Or the former might have an altered design that just doesn’t sit right with some consumers. Or the new functions just aren’t worth the major price tag. If there’s a new smartphone coming out every year, it’s a huge financial burden to keep buying the latest model just to stay trendy.
dcphoto78 , George Milton/pexels Report
OryxTempel Report
Naked-Snake5566 Report
But for others, this new tech adds an extra level of complexity. Namely, dealing with batteries and syncing up devices. Yours truly is currently writing this while listening to music on an old-school iPod with wired earbuds. Why? Because the device has reliably worked for the past decade and a half. Because the iPod’s battery lasts longer than that of a smartphone (step up your battery longevity game, tech companies!). And because I don’t want to shell out for a pair of Bluetooth headphones just because my phone suddenly doesn’t have an audio jack anymore.
What old-school or analog things are you still glad exist, dear Pandas? On the flip side, what newer and digital innovations are you genuinely happy to see? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Blueberry_Mancakes , cottonbro studio/pexels Report
Ok-Abbreviations9212 , Jason Deines/pexels Report
catdoctor , https://www.flickr.com/photos/god-son/4764272431/in/photolist-bjQ3t-4eUN-2ojuCc5-8g19d8-6RDsJp-2nKN2VZ-2oH25ya-MqzNNa-2pLDfWA-bgmksT-2kYVUCe-54ofg7-cmoze-9pMF4M-2mmsbgy-2nZogYK-S3STZo-ajMfZQ-GRqwwr-kwHC1N-zWsfTE-7A4sMx-a7b94y-4KBxGy-bUMgvX-2q3HEGa-eoRM3u-2pfvCMW-4By7kM-bf9iMD-L8B1hV-2oV99qs-7Y8kPb-2gXhS4d-2jwq9d3-bwSPU9-ZWWVE2-gWta3B-Cdt1p4-5tzgov-dDJ6Dp-57Gwcv-2ivxFSS-5MrxQP-nuvj3N-Pe3hFU-2nLJU5G-77ZYq7-6kjQbi-d8R7Ff/flickr Report
KissMyGrits60 , Gary Minnaert/flickr Report
Tucana66 Report
BromStyle , Drigo Diniz /pexels Report
CaptainTime , Carol VanHook/flickr Report
in-a-microbus , fauxels /pexels Report
OS2REXX , Ksenia Chernaya/pexels Report
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