The 10 pieces technology we rely on today are on a fast‑track to extinction, and the next two decades will see many of them fade into history. From the rear‑view mirror you glance at every commute to the cinema you visit on weekends, we’ll break down why each will likely disappear and what will replace them.
10 pieces technology: What’s Going Away?
10. Rearview Mirrors
Because the pace of innovation is relentless, manufacturers are poised to swap out traditional glass mirrors for sleek camera systems. These digital eyes will become standard in autonomous vehicles, and as camera modules shrink and costs tumble, they’ll easily outpace the old‑school side mirrors.
9. Phone Towers
Physical infrastructure is getting tinier, and that trend spells trouble for towering cell sites. As devices become capable of direct, peer‑to‑peer communication over short distances, the need for massive antenna farms will dwindle.
Qualcomm has already begun exploring ultra‑dense mesh networks, teaming up with major tech firms to build applications that bypass traditional towers. As the technology matures, the skyline may lose its familiar lattice of steel, which isn’t a bad thing—those towers haven’t won any beauty contests.
8. Remote Controls
The frantic couch‑cushion hunts for missing remotes are already becoming folklore. Billions of gadgets now live on Wi‑Fi, letting you command them from a phone, tablet, or smartwatch instead of a plastic stick.
Platforms like Google Home and Amazon Alexa already let you dim lights or change the thermostat with a simple phrase. In twenty years, even climate‑control remotes will be obsolete—you’ll just tell your smart home to heat up or cool down, and it will obey.
7. Credit Cards
Credit cards revolutionized buying power when the Diners Club rolled out the first plastic card in 1950, quickly amassing 20,000 members. Yet, seven decades later, the financial world is sprinting toward a new horizon.
Everyday giants like Starbucks and McDonald’s already let you tap a phone to pay, and many smartphones now embed payment chips. Soon, a simple fingerprint or facial scan could replace the physical card entirely.
6. Metal Keys
The tools that let us unlock doors are already being digitized, and it’s only a matter of time before metal keys become museum pieces. Modern cars sport push‑button starts that respond to a fob in your pocket, and that’s just the beginning.
Imagine opening a building with a tap on your phone, a voice command, or even a retinal scan. Some innovators are even testing tiny implants that a lock can recognize, eliminating the need for any physical key at all.
5. Physical Media
The decline of tangible media isn’t shocking. VHS gave way to DVDs, just as cassettes yielded to CDs. Yet the next wave may erase the last remnants of physical formats.
Streaming giants like Netflix and YouTube, along with on‑demand cable services, are already making Blu‑ray discs a niche. Eventually, even printed books could become fully digital, leaving shelves empty.
4. Wired Phone Chargers
Picture a world where your phone never needs to be plugged into a wall. No more frantic searches for the charger cable when the battery dips low.
Wireless pads already power many smartphones, and research is pushing toward radio‑wave and Wi‑Fi based charging that can power devices from a distance, making cords a relic of the past.
3. ATMs And Wallets
Payment methods evolve every few years, and while cash still clings on, cards and digital banking are eroding its dominance.
Fun fact: Only about 9 % of the global population relies on physical cash today. As digital currencies take hold, the need for wallets and ATMs will evaporate, freeing up space in our pockets.
2. Needles
The era of the prick is winding down thanks to groundbreaking research at MIT.
One project launches a jet‑injection that fires medication faster than sound through a microscopic skin opening. Another employs a swallowable capsule that releases tiny needles into the stomach lining before the body dissolves them, eliminating the traditional syringe entirely.
1. Cinemas
Since the television first brought entertainment into living rooms, the idea that movie theaters might fade has lingered.
Even though many still love the big‑screen experience, advances like 3‑D TVs, affordable home‑theater setups, and the rise of virtual reality suggest that watching films at home will become the norm, making the traditional cinema a nostalgic relic.