5 gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

[ZOOYUKA]

I would take a netbook any day over and Ipad.

 

[ElFenix]

GPS - never needed one, i always know where i am.

e-reader - eink screens are amazing to look at. the amazon commercial with the chick by the pool reading her kindle while pasty dude can't see due to glare off his ipad is right. color will make these awesome. the biggest downside to these is i can buy a lot of paperbacks for the cost of the cheapest kindle/nook. if the refresh on color eink can pick up in speed so that, say, a biology textbook can animate the use of ATP, that would be killer

wireless routers - lolwut? those built in routers suck.

CD/DVD for computers - reading the blurb it's clear that software is what is meant, and that's already starting. a lot of stuff just gives you a key to a download site. an optical drive is going to be standard for most computers for a long time, and will continue to be an option for years after that. you can still get floppies, after all.

netbooks - fadtastic, but at least they helped usher in cheap ultraportables (remember when a 3 lb notebook cost $2,000 and got terrible battery life?)

 

[goog40]

The only time I can remember using my DVD drive in the last couple years is to install Windows.

 

[Arcadio]

Great. Another one of those lists.

 

[TheVrolok]

Phone GPS doesn't even compare to an actual GPS.

I agree with this.

 

[Miramonti]

Heck, in 5 years there is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Unless she thinks that FIOS is going to take over the world, then I'd agree since Verizon gives you the fiber-->digital router with the installation. However, if she thinks that cable and DSL companies are going to magically start ponying up for routers then she's delusional because they are still charging for us for the stupid modem. Even if they decided to bundle routers, they will still charge us and we will still be using them.

Portable GPS and black/white e-ink yes. E-ink is going color anyway, and new Kindles will probably even have better browsing to compete with the ipad.

DVD's aren't going away anytime soon due to this issue called firewalls and security. Just because you could stream data from work--->home doesn't mean your company will allow it. For huge sets of data, the only other option is a DVD or external drive. Some places don't even allow those, so your only option is... DVD.

The dvd thing I understood as movies not software.

 

[vi edit]

So...with a phone based GPS what happens if I'm on the phone and I need to make a turn?

 

[KaOTiK]

I think people that think a tablet will replace the ereaders don't use them. The reason ereaders work so well is cause of the e ink. No strain on the eyes at all, it is nothing like reading on your monitor or a tablet. Plus the battery life is incredible on the ereaders. They and also gaining more features or improving on ones they do have like website browsing and games as well.

The only thing on that list I can see going away in the next 5 years is netbooks as tablets are taking over what they were doing, plus netbooks always sucked mexican hooker ass to start with.

 

[ShawnD1]

Until phones start using real GPS and not aGPS I won't be switching.

Do phones use a different system? That would explain why the gps on my gf's phone is such shit. It doesn't work at all. It never seems to know where we are.

The real gps in my car seems to know where I am and where I'm going, but gives retarded instructions on how to get there. It once told me to do a u-turn on the freeway. I'm not joking.

 

[AMDZen]

There are a lot of valid points in there for me personally.

I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want a smartphone, the GPS one has never been more true for me. I don't think it will be gone in 5 years, but I believe 5 years from now you won't be able to buy a car that doesn't already have one, making the after market very small considering so many of those will have the smartphone instead.

CD/DVD is pretty much obsolete for me already too. Not entirely but only because I have to buy a game to load on my PC as opposed to downloading it. One day I should be able to download everything, hopefully soon.

e-readers I pretty much agree with entirely.

Wireless routers was just a stupid assumption I think.

 

[Saint Nick]

Heck, in 5 years there is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.

Interesting point. I agree with you for the most part.

I don't think personal computing will be completely gone for another few years. PCs are becoming unbelievably inexpensive and more powerful. Their role may change, but I'm not sure they'll go away. Cloud computing is now in the consumer market, but with all of the data security concerns (and unforeseen security concerns), PCs and home storage will still be popular for a couple more decades IMO. We shall see!

"Local" storage and computing will especially continue to be popular within the business environment simply because of these reasons.

Once bandwidth really starts taking off (I'm talking gigabits per second), companies will likely start storing data off-site within warehouses. Especially in disaster recovery plans. NYC-based companies will locate their DR sites on the west coast, or better yet, spread it across the United States.

jjsole, are you thinking people will move more towards having "dummy" terminals within their homes, and just store everything on a server?

 

[nageov3t]

when I can get an iPad for $300 that has a week-long battery life, allows me to watch any online video without needing a premium app, has a native physical keyboard or the ability to attach one, and allows me to play any video or audio file regardless of format/itunes support, then an iPad will replace my netbook and e-reader.

my phone GPS is ok in a pinch, but I can't really see it competing with my stand-alone GPS unite any time soon. the accuracy and other features just aren't there.

what I could see being dead in 5 years are MP3 players... if my smart phone had a higher storage capacity already, my iPod would be gathering dust.

 

[Fritzo]

http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/09/6611879-five-gadgets-that-will-be-dead-in-five-years

portable GPS - disagree
CD/DVD ROM - disagree
wireless routers - disagree
netbooks - agree for the most part
e-readers - too uninformed to speculate

I totally agree with portable GPS going bust. Their sales have already dropped through the floor. I use the one on my phone, which is constantly updated and has a lot more features.

CD/DVD ROM- totally agree. I think the only times we use ours in our office is when we need to install Windows. Everything else is either network or cloud based. I've been saying for 2 years that streaming media is going to kill physical media, and it's happening quickly.

Wireless routers- eh---thier sales are going to drop because most ISP's are combining wireless with their modem equipment, plus many people are switching to 3/4G service exclusively (believe it or not, most people use 2GB or less of data traffic per month), but I think routers will always have a customer base.

Netbooks- tables have killed this segment. They do a better job at the very thing netbooks were supposed to do: get you on the Internet as quickly as possible, be portable, and have a long battery life.

e-readers- disagree. Unless they invent color e-ink and start using it in tablets, e-readers will be around for a while.

What the list forgot: dedicated MP3 players. Everyone uses their phone for music anymore. Other than the tiny form factor players for exercise, player sales have dropped drastically. The iPod Touch's only saving grace is that it's a mini-tablet. Large dedicated players are doomed.

 

[bignateyk]

Do phones use a different system? That would explain why the gps on my gf's phone is such shit. It doesn't work at all. It never seems to know where we are.

The real gps in my car seems to know where I am and where I'm going, but gives retarded instructions on how to get there. It once told me to do a u-turn on the freeway. I'm not joking.

Most phones use cellular assisted GPS which really sucks compared to a real GPS (it uses the tower information to triagulate your position instead of using GPS satellites). Some phones have both though. The worst thing about aGPS is that if you lose cell reception you lose your GPS.

 

[Fritzo]

my phone GPS is ok in a pinch, but I can't really see it competing with my stand-alone GPS unite any time soon. the accuracy and other features just aren't there.

What kind of phone do you have? Android phones with 3.7-4.3" screens rock Google Maps. My Nuvi has sat in a drawer for over a year now. The fact I can just say "Navigate to ..whatever" and it finds the address is incredibly handy.

My Droid has a window mount that I pop in into for long trips. No need for a dedicated GPS.

Most phones use cellular assisted GPS which really sucks compared to a real GPS (it uses the tower information to triagulate your position instead of using GPS satellites). Some phones have both though. The worst thing about aGPS is that if you lose cell reception you lose your GPS.

This is incorrect- most phones have GPS AND tower triangulation navigation. If the phone can't get a GPS signal, it goes to triangulation. With a stand alone GPS if you can't get a signal you're SOL.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

she probably doesn't realize the value of a gps because she's too busy making sandwiches all day

 

[MotF Bane]

She's an idiot.

 

[The_Dude8]

So...with a phone based GPS what happens if I'm on the phone and I need to make a turn?

guest you have to hang up the phone;

Won't using your phone as a gps consider sort of texting and driving, and cops could give you a ticket right?

 

[nageov3t]

What kind of phone do you have? Android phones with 3.7-4.3" screens rock Google Maps. My Nuvi has sat in a drawer for over a year now. The fact I can just say "Navigate to ..whatever" and it finds the address is incredibly handy.

HTC Evo

it's accurate-ish, but the screen is basically unreadable in sunlight.

 

[waggy]

my droid 2 has a few diffrent GPS's software packages i can use. i like the google maps. its updated all the time. It is far better then the Tomtom i had.

My oldest (we have custody of my ex-wife's sister) is going to college so we got her a nice GPS. i HATE IT. it sucks ass compared to my phone. driving to different colleges it was a pain. i hated the software. last trip we made was to Springfield and i put in my mount for my phone to use.

 

[waggy]

So...with a phone based GPS what happens if I'm on the phone and I need to make a turn?

it still tells you. it can switch back and forth while using (hands free anyway). but while driving i don't accept or make calls

 

[PottedMeat]

No more goddamn spinning storage media. At least it should be dead.

 

[gophins72]

i love my garmin, if i had a nicer phone with a big screen, i'd use it like the garmin, i suppose.
i've never liked netbooks and personally am glad they're dying.

 

[dpodblood]

portable GPS - Mobile phones are nowhere near as good as dedicated GPS units. If anything we will see more and more cars with built in GPS.

CD/DVD ROM - While I agree they are needed less and less they will still be needed to some extent in order to install your operating system.

wireless routers - Ha yeah right.

netbooks - Kind of ironic that she claims cd/dvd's will go away, and netbooks will go away too. What is a netbook afterall? Just a laptop without a cd/dvd drive... So are we not going to have any laptops at all then? I think tablets are taking away from the netbook market somewhat, but I don't think they will disappear entirely.

e-readers - Doubtful. They are very low cost and are much easier to read off of when compared to a tablet or computer screen. And they have better battery life than any tablet or laptop on the market.