Just because there’s a host of fancy new gadgets and devices constantly being developed doesn’t mean that everyone’s rushing to embrace them. Many people are perfectly happy relying on the things they have and what they’re used to. New doesn’t always mean better… especially when the ‘ancient’ alternative is so reliable.
Case in point, the r/AskReddit online community recently had a blast opening up about all the ‘outdated’ technology that they don’t plan to stop using any time soon. From Windows XP to good old pen-and-paper, scroll down to see what they shared.
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Doors with physical keys. I don’t like the idea of every door needing technology to open. It feels less safe.
Agreed, not so much on safety, more by function. If someone wants to break your door down, they'll break your door down but technology malfunctions and fails. Similar to keyless cars with "push to start". If there's something wrong with that button or the communication between the electronic key fails, you're screwed.
Physical books. I tried to get into ebooks but it’s just not the same as a physical book. Plus books have that fresh paper smell that’s so nostalgic
‘Outdated’ and ‘obsolete’ tech is harder to root out than you might think. Case in point, Japan is notorious for relying on practically ancient technology, from fax machines to floppy discs. Recently, the nation declared ‘war’ on floppy discs, on which 1,900 law, government, and ministerial procedures still rely.
Meanwhile, fax machines are still used very widely in Japanese workplaces, instead of using email. One of the most technologically advanced and innovative countries on our planet still very much depends on ‘outdated’ tech structures.
It will be a cold day in hell before I get a fridge or a dishwasher with a computer built inside of it.
Dont mix up « computer » with « connected » Modern fridges have some computing capabilities to adapt to their environment and the contents, decreasing a lot the consumption. And that’s different from connecting it to the internet which is another trend.
Real buttons. Not everything has to be touchscreen-compatible and there's no comparison to gaming on a keyboard vs something touchscreen.
Gaming keyboards are the best. I have the same in until he picture. Click Clack
Physical calendar on our kitchen wall, with all our family and friends birthdays on it. We transfer the dates to the new calendar every year. Outdated yes, given our phone apps can easily remind us of important events, but the calendar is very visual and makes it easy for us to remember birthdays! Seeing who is coming up in the month, allows for better present organisation.
It’s our personal experience that so long as a piece of technology is reliable and does its job well, there’s no need to replace it with the newest model—or a fancy digital alternative. That’s why some of us (hi!) still listen to music on our iPods from two decades ago instead of using wireless headphones linked to our smartphones.
You’d also be surprised by how useful a simple notebook and a simple pen are even when you’ve got computers and fancy programs for work. Of course, we’re not discounting the power of tech or innovation: these are hallmarks of human advancement and development. But simpler is—at times—better. And something freshly developed by tech engineers doesn’t instantly invalidate what came before (though some companies would love for that to happen).
Physical media. Ain’t no copyright/license b******t can delete anything from my library.
Yep for this reason I keep my original CDs even though I play them as mp3s. Not going to stream. You do not know my taste, and no streaming service is clever enough to figure it out. My range is far too wide and my playlist is mood dependent.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting the latest and coolest gadgets. However, it does help if you actually understand why you want them. For many people, buying new tech and programs is a (not-so-subtle) way to show off their wealth, status, and power. Whether they realize this or not, they’re signaling to those around them that they have access to the best of the best.
Because human beings are social animals, many of us highly value our reputations. What our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers think of us can impact us in a big way. Whether or not you’re a trusted (and trustworthy) member of society plays a huge role in the quality of your life.
Line dried laundry. Not exclusively as it's winter here and I have a dryer, but line drying is just so much better in every way.
Wired ear buds. Much cheaper, last for decades, don't require charging, and much less likely to lose one.
Only downside is cable management which is easy if you take 5 secs to properly bundle it up after use.
Cash
As long as there are black outs and internet outages or connection issues cash will never die.
However, it’s not through fancy gadgets that you’ll get other people’s respect. It’s our decisions, actions, values, and character that truly matter. How you connect to people—and doing so in a non-superficial way—is what you should focus on. Cool tech, fancy clothes, and overwhelming wealth can create a powerful first impression. But what matters is what lies beneath all of that.
If your reputation hinges on whether or not you’ve got the best car, the newest phone, and access to whatever new and exclusive AI app is trending, then you’re on shaky ground. On the flip side, the things you own and wear can filter out superficial people, too.
Someone who treats you poorly because you drive an old but reliable jeep, have an older-gen smartphone, and a durable but tired wristwatch probably isn’t worth getting to know beyond some polite small talk.
Desktop computers. Mouse and keyboard for life. It’s so much easier to be productive.
My analog watch with the hour, minute, and second hands.
Cars that dont have TVs glued to the dash.
What 'outdated' technology and software do you personally still use and plan to continue using in the future, Pandas? What advantages do you think older tech has over newer inventions? Feel free to share your thoughts with all the other readers in the comment section at the bottom of this article.
Drawing with a piece of paper and a pencil. You just can't beat it
CDs. Nothing beats having a physical copy of my favorite albums
A car with a key, not a fob
This disease has now spread to motorcycles. I'll never buy one without a physical key. It's the answer to a question nobody asked.
Handheld can openers. Dependable, fast, and portable.
stick shift
I drove a stickshift for many years. Did my drivers licence in a stickshift car. And it was really fine. But for most drivers - including myself - the technology nowadays with the automatic transmissions is really more than fine. They shift well, run smooth, are fuel efficient with 6-10 gears and are really comfy in slow traffic and traffic jams. Except you really are a sporty driver (but where can drive drive as such?), then you won't need a stickshift no more. At least I'm not missing it.
Truly they've evolved a lot in the last twenty years. CVT transmissions on the other hand can go away.
Load More Replies...I should think manual transmissions would keep drivers more engaged in their driving. Harder to text and drive if you have to shift gears.
I drove a stick shift for years and loved it. But I have congenitaly bad knees and after a while it got to be too much and it was actually causing pain. Then I bought a hybrid and I really don't mind having an automatic.
No thank you, I've done my time with stick shift, and automatics aren't the joke they used to be
I drive about 50.000km/year. So, I have worn out a bunch of cars. Manual cars selldom get problems with the transmission. But automatic gearboxes selldom makes more than 250.000km. And those are really expensive buggers. So I stick to the stick.
I've driven stick all my life and I really hate automatics. I've recently driven a BMW... it just doesn't compare. The pulloff in an automatic is slow, can't jumpstart it when the battery dies (I know because this is what happened to me!), and the speed change is too gradual. Yes, I drive like an a*****e. Yes, stickshift enables that. Yes I am sorry.
If you want acceleration and an automatic, then try an electric car, they are faster than most manual cars.
Load More Replies...I drove an auto for 2 years and can't count how many times my kneecap dislocated. Switched to a manual (stickshift) and using the clutch pedal keeps the muscles & ligaments toned & tight enough that my knee hasn't dislocated since. I'll never willingly change back.
Nope. I drove one for quite a while, but when my back acts up it just about kills me to get my left foot lifted up high enough to operate the clutch. And in my experience the fuel mileage argument doesn't hold up. I had a 1999 1/2 ton Chevy pickup with a 5-speed manual transmission and a 6-cylinder engine. After driving it for a while I traded it in on a very similar truck, but one year newer, with an automatic transmission and 8-cylinder engine. My fuel mileage went down by one mile per gallon. I will gladly sacrifice that for the increased power and convenience.
I've tried learning how to drive stick. I just never got the hang of it. My car has manual mode, which is good enough for me
I had stick shifts for most of my life until arthritis in my left hip made it too painful, especially in stop and go traffic. Stick shift cars are theft-proof in big cities. Thugs don't know how to drive them.
I bought manual transmission cars and trucks almost exclusively up until I reached my fifties about 5 years ago. Aching back, knees and hips told me it was time for automatics. It's nice to just let the truck drive while I hold the steering wheel. I even use the cruise control to speed up and down most of the time. I'm getting old. Too old to resist comfort over "fun".
Stick shift for me descending these mountain roads. Can't beat the control.
I hae had mostly manual transmission cars most of my life, when I gave my pickup to my sister, I now just have a Prius (1st gen, love it!) but its automatic. The thing that I loved about my manual cars is that it got me out of lending my car to friends, but they couldn't drive manual..too bad, find someone else's car to borrow
I love a standard shift. One time I had a car with an automatic, and I hate myself for it. The standard is just more engaging, interesting and fun. They are getting really hard to find these days. My current car is 15 years old and has a standard shift, straight 6 and rear wheel drive. There is nothing like that available today.
Most auto transmissions have a manual mode. Flappy paddles or manual shifting. The cvvt technology can vary a lot. Some are aweful. Different modes too eg sport. Ferrari manual cars are very hard to drive. The auto does the toughvstuff for a safer and better drive. Same with most sport cars
The one time I drove an automatic I immediately almost caused an accident when I went to change gear an pushed the break thinking it was the clutch. It was alright once I got that sorted, but I prefer a manual because I felt like I had less control over the drive in an automatic, just what you are used to I guess.
'Stick shift' equates to 'manual' in the UK, not 'car'. A car is a car.
Load More Replies...Just starting a car can be an act of God and Congress. Put in key, push buttons … or using key fob to distance start a car …
In what possible world is this considered "outdated"? It's called "standard" for a reason. While automatics are common in the US.....the rest of the world continues to use the STANARD manual stick shift, and they absolutely shouldn't. The number of drivers i see stalling out in the middle of traffic every single day is staggering.
Perhaps you just live somewhere with really c**p drivers? I certainly don't see people routinely stalling.
Load More Replies...Writing letters. With paper & pen, through the postal service!
Corded tools and appliances. So many things I don't use enough to make it worthwhile if it only lasts as long as the battery, and then I have to decide between spending to keep using something old or to just get something new.
That battery powered weed whacker I only need a few times year? The battery is done after a few years anyway. If I get a corded one that sucker will last me decades. Same with lawnmowers, snowblowers, drills, screwdrivers, vacuum cleaners, etc.
If you have a lot of infrequently used tools that share the same battery system (eg Ryobi) you only need one or two batteries and you’ll get full use out of the battery.
For me, manual brooms/sweepers come to mind.
Robo vacuums just don't interest me. I love advanced tech when it makes sense, but for me this feels like a case of overkill. Not everything needs to be smart/automatic. I'm a big believer the future should be one of mixed-use tech.
We have a Roomba because I have fibromyalgia and suffer from fatigue. Admittedly it doesn’t do stairs or cobwebs but I’m happy with it. 🙂
I have a 1947 Singer model 15. Sure I need attachments to do button holes and zig-zag stitches but, I couldn't imagine using a modern machine.
Film, while I do have digital cameras as well, despite the incredible rise in cost I have still find myself shooting both 35mm and medium format film. I develop all my black and white film myself too, because the local lab charges more for it.
Vernier calipers, micrometers, etc: Why add a screen to something that never needed one?
Natural fabrics, I sew clothes out of wool, leather, cotton, linen, and silk. The only synthetic fabrics that ever made sense to me was nylon and kevlar, for normal clothes I just don't see the point in polyester, viscose, PU, etc. It is like we have a whole chemical industry researching worse materials to make things out of.
Viscose is made from wood fibres I believe. While it definitely has been processed it is made from natural fibres. Otherwise I agree about synthetic material for clothing. They end up smelly and don't breathe.
Since I work in an industrial setting - Probably Windows XP
Tube guitar amplifier! I know digital is getting better and better, but you just cant beat the warmth and response of a good tube amp.
Not obsolete, but most have a more “modern” version (cordless/digital/connects to the internet/etc) that is becoming more popular these days, and these folks don’t want to switch :)
Load More Replies...I'm 55yo. I keep handwritten lists. If I don't write it down, I don't remember it.
I save used envelopes and write my grocery lists on the back.
Load More Replies...FTW. The output is legible, AND they work instantly, no bootup sequence. Plus, send someone a laser printed letter, and they'll likely ignore it. Send one written on a typewriter and they'll react like it was written by hand, done just for them.
Load More Replies...wired mouse and keyboard. i do NOT want to be in the middle of something and have that s**t die, have to go searching for batteries, ugh what a pain.
As someone mentioned on the last article, which was posted just 2 weeks ago, its mostly pretentious redditors inflating their egos over paper calendars and can openers.
I found a perfect portable Olivetti in the original case with the instruction book at an estate sale for $25. This is just like the machine I had in college and made money typing papers for grad students.
Load More Replies...I have ADHD, and if I kept my notes and lists on little scraps of paper I’d never find them when they’re needed. I also much prefer having a library of books to read in my phone, instead of lugging 10 paperbacks with me. My key fob lets me get into my car and start it without digging through my purse, and line dried laundry is stiff and scratchy. Preferences are fine, but there’s nothing inherently noble about choosing older technology. It was once the newest thing, too!
Not obsolete, but most have a more “modern” version (cordless/digital/connects to the internet/etc) that is becoming more popular these days, and these folks don’t want to switch :)
Load More Replies...I'm 55yo. I keep handwritten lists. If I don't write it down, I don't remember it.
I save used envelopes and write my grocery lists on the back.
Load More Replies...FTW. The output is legible, AND they work instantly, no bootup sequence. Plus, send someone a laser printed letter, and they'll likely ignore it. Send one written on a typewriter and they'll react like it was written by hand, done just for them.
Load More Replies...wired mouse and keyboard. i do NOT want to be in the middle of something and have that s**t die, have to go searching for batteries, ugh what a pain.
As someone mentioned on the last article, which was posted just 2 weeks ago, its mostly pretentious redditors inflating their egos over paper calendars and can openers.
I found a perfect portable Olivetti in the original case with the instruction book at an estate sale for $25. This is just like the machine I had in college and made money typing papers for grad students.
Load More Replies...I have ADHD, and if I kept my notes and lists on little scraps of paper I’d never find them when they’re needed. I also much prefer having a library of books to read in my phone, instead of lugging 10 paperbacks with me. My key fob lets me get into my car and start it without digging through my purse, and line dried laundry is stiff and scratchy. Preferences are fine, but there’s nothing inherently noble about choosing older technology. It was once the newest thing, too!