Looking for a dictionary word, an encyclopedic entry or some general information? We think it would be safe to assume that the first place you look is not a reference book in the nearby library. Those huge books are simply less effective comparing to the internet at our fingertips.
Also, reference books often need to be edited in order to keep them updated with the latest information. This means that each of them is doomed to become irrelevant and that’s just wasting paper if you ask us.
PayPhones
Another thing cellphones made obsolete are public payphones. Now that we all carry a mobile phone in our pockets, we simply have no use for them. Once an acceptable means of communication, these days payphones mostly serve as trendy photobooths.
In some places, municipalities are trying to find new uses for payphone booths. Until then, it looks like people are going to keep using them as impromptu studio space for amateur cellphone photographers.
Neighborhood Post Boxes
Once upon a time, people who wanted to send a message to their loved ones had to go through a lot. They had to write the message by hand on a piece of paper, stuff that paper into an envelope, put a stamp on it, insert it into a neighborhood post box, wait and hope for the best.
Now they send each other texts and emails. This means we are both more efficient and no longer in need of neighborhood post boxes. Those boxes can still be found all over the US, but at this point, they are about as functional as statues.
Car Lighters
Remember how car lighters used to be integral parts of almost any motor vehicle? Soon, they will be completely vintage. Carmakers now design their new models with some changes and this is one of them: swapping car lighters for cellphone charging ports.
It’s all about priorities and knowing the drivers. Something tells us that people tend to be a lot more attached to their mobile phones than their little boxes of smoke. Maybe it has something to do with the price tag on each of those items.
Keyboards
“Alexa, play Single Ladies by Beyoncé.” “Siri, set up an alarm for tomorrow at 8 am.” Talking to devices is becoming increasingly common in the last few years. We can ask our smartphone to text someone while we drive and keep our hands on the wheel, and we can ask our smart TV to change the channel without looking for the remote.
Voice commands or voice-to-text features are the things that will ultimately make our keyboards history. Sure, every now and then your phone would think you said “compliment” instead of “compliment”, but it is constantly learning and improving. Soon it will tell you what to write. We’re not nervous at all.