Things that maybe obsolete by 2020

Standalone GPS units have been on everyone's list since at least 2008 and they aren't gone yet.

With cars having a useful life of over 15 years, it will take at least that long after a GPS is standard in every vehicle manufactured. I'm kind of surprised this prognosticator didn't predict cable TV along with landlines but then most people get their Internet from a cable provider.

Seems like people predicted the death of radio many years ago because of TV and even before that AM would die because of FM broadcasts. Why you can wager that smartphones will be on someone's list in a few years because of smart watches.

2020 is just next year! Standalone GPS devices are definitely becoming obsolete, and quickly.

It's been months since I've seen a standalone GPS in a vehicle when walking in a parking lot or looking at nearby vehicles at stoplights. When I do see a standalone GPS it's always in an old dilapidated car or truck.

no argument, but, just think standalone GPS could move from primary to backup.
As of 2019, I still put my Garmin as primary navigation device, while Google map on cell phone as secondary. I am not sure if this will change moving forward.

It is interesting that most of the 30 items predicted to become obsolete in a year are made obsolete by smart phones. The versatility of smartphones is truly amazing and there is no doubt they are transforming the way we do things.

I have a multi-tool that can do the tasks a whole toolbox of dedicated tools can do. In a pinch, it is great to have the multitool in the glove box or in your bike bag. But given a choice, I will always use my Craftsman phillips screw driver rather than the phillips attachment on the multi tool.

That is still the way I feel about a flashlight, a camera … and my Garmin GPS. That said, I can see how a good Android Auto navigation app (if one ever becomes available) could cause my nuvi to go into the glove box. Google navigation in its current rendition is not it.

Wow, I must be a dinosaur.

A lot of that list I don't want to give up. They are putting way too much weight on smartphones, pretty soon with all the apps running and all the info on them they will have batteries that weigh a ton or only last an hour, and they are next real target for hackers since, for a lot of folks, the phone has even become their only computer.

Hard Drives ... no cloud for me. Anyone with some computer savy will be (already is really) able to steal everything you have.

Landlines ... Unless I move, I need my landline. My wonderful smartphone gets dumb in my house and drops calls, if I can make one at all, and I am in a large metropolitan area. At my father in laws place no service period. You have to drive a few blocks to pick up a tower.

Digital Cameras ... I have to admit, I love the idea of a camera within my phone since it fits in my t-shirt pocket quite nicely, in fact it's probably my most used app. BUT they are terrible for anything not directly in front of you. Digital zoom is almost useless. I proved that the other night when trying to zoom in on the lunar eclipse we had. Until they can figure true optical zoom we'll still need a real camera.

Paperwork ... Again for me this means cloud use, which so far I have been able to avoid.

Paper Receipts ... Too many people getting my email address already including hackers and those that try to scheme folks out of their dough. I like to have the paper in my hand when entering the info in my checkbook.

Bills in the US Mail ... Most companies I deal with constantly ask me to do away with paper bills. I say I want them to continue. I like the reminder when I have the bill in my hand, too many chances of forgetting since they email you the the next bill the day after the last bill was due/paid.

Alarm Clocks ... When I sleep all phones are turned off. Too many auto dialed BS calls, even though all of my phones are on the do not call list. I need my alarm clock.

Checkbooks ... Another cloud item, nope, not for me thank you.

Amazon's Prime Air ... I love Amazon, best customer service anywhere, but this one makes me laugh, it may work in some gated community but not in the city, where packages will stolen at will.

There is more and more of a push for everything digital/cyber, as evidenced by that article. That means it gets easier and easier to rob someone. A thief no longer has to break in your home, nor do they have to stick a knife in your ribs, nope a few keystrokes, a fake card reader overtop of the real one and you're wiped out in seconds. It's happened to my wife twice, with fake card readers in reputable stores. Happened to me once making an overseas purchase via the internet. Fortunately for both of us the accounts were nearly empty anyway.

I'm near the end of my life and have no doubt the things mentioned in the article will go the way of the dodo bird, I'm just hoping it's not until after I've moved on to the next phase.

Try that out in the far reaches of Utah navigating from Zion National Park towards Arches National Park. Your car is driving through a big sea of white nothingness.... I'll take the standalone any day. Also, my cars are both hoopties. Good old rolling iron without many of the frills some of you speak of. It's nice to have a unit I am comfortable with to take with me from vehicle to vehicle. (1998 Honda Civic with 328,000 miles and still rolling along)

That's pretty close to the way it is now. My wife has her phone loaded with apps, and it dings all day long. She has to carry the charging cord in her purse because battery life is down to about 2 hrs. When her battery dies and she can't charge it she's completey frustrated and complaining. I told her to stop some of the stuff draining the battery but she "can't do without them". Recently she got extra battery things that attach via a usb cord to extend phone life until she finds a place to plug in.

I have to laugh when I'm at the doctors office (and airports) and see people huddled around the outlets all trying to get a charge or their life will come crashing down.

It's the usual rubbish clickbait written by some intern trying to justify her existence and get some ad clicks.

A lot of the stuff on that list may go obsolete at some point. None of it will go obsolete by 2020.

You quoted the previous post incorrectly. It's a bit hard to see who says what.

By the way, you don't have to bank online to get hacked. Your bank account is already available for everyone who has skills to break into banks electronically. It doesn't matter if you bank online or not.

So why make it easier with an even bigger online presence.

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I'm waiting for someone to say they don't trust banks with their money and bury their money in coffee cans in the backyard or hiding it in the mattress...

I stuff my money in coffee cans in the back yard last time I dug them up they were all empty.

I think I was scammed by by my ex you just can't trust anyone anymore.

Think I will try the mattress.

If I had any money .... these days you really can't get by without some online presence, I just like to keep it to a minimum with the important stuff.

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I agree with pretty much everything on the list except:

Don't need a landline after I took my security to wireless and cellular monitoring.

Haven't pulled out my camera yet BUT strongly considering it because the cell phone takes horrible shots at night.

I still like paper receipts. When asked at some locations how I want the receipt I take it right then.

As for bills, I want the paper bills. The only ones I get electronically are the ones that now charge for the paper one. I won't give that company any more than I have to. Same goes for automatic payments (only those that charge for me making the payment). The others bills I will do a transfer from my bank, but I control it.

And I still write some checks.

will I give up my standalone GPS to waste data on a smart phone...at least not until they pry it from my cold dead fingers

If someone steals my smartphone, I'll be without most of the items on that list! Talk about your unitasker!

No thank you. I'll keep my individual gadgets, obsolete or not.

I care very little about those "predictions" that are mostly biased by the reporter. I only care about what works for me and if I'm satisfied with how they work. Not into buying new things just because someone says they are the up-and-coming trends.

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