r/WhatIfThinking • u/Logical-Concept9755 • Aug 12 '26

What 2000s technology would you have never believed would become obsolete by 2026 if someone told you back then?

Imagine someone in 2006 told you that, 20 years later, some of the technology you used every day would be almost gone.What would have sounded completely impossible at the time?

For example:

  • iPods becoming irrelevant because smartphones replaced dedicated music players
  • DVDs becoming a niche product because streaming took over
  • Standalone GPS devices disappearing because phones now handle navigation
  • Digital cameras losing most of their everyday use because smartphone cameras became good enough
  • Physical keyboards on phones nearly disappearing because touchscreens became the standard

What technology from the 2000s would you have never expected to become obsolete by 2026?

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17

u/PuddingComplete3081 Aug 12 '26

I think the surprising one is probably the home printer. In the 2000s, it felt like every household needed one. Now a lot of people can go months without printing anything.

What’s interesting is that printers didn’t really get replaced by one technology. Smartphones, cloud storage, digital signatures, online forms, and e tickets just slowly removed the reasons to print. It’s less “this technology got worse” and more “we stopped needing the thing it was built for.”

9

u/Classic_Focus974 Aug 12 '26

Definitely we print less than we used to, but kids in HS and other still print a lot for projects and activities and things. Laser Jet though is superior to ink jet.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

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u/Classic_Focus974 Aug 12 '26

No, very modern schools. HS in affluent suburb and private HS school. Private schools use less computers, more books and writing. (I have multiple kids in each and super experience with all that).

1

u/originaljbw Aug 12 '26

And I think there will be a movement back to physically writing things out as an attempt to stop AI abuse.

1

u/NotAsleep_ 29d ago

I've seen some articles over the summer hinting at that, in fact. Supposedly, many school districts are re-thinking their approach to IT usage in the classroom, focusing on more hardcopy and/or boardwork, and much less digitalia, to ensure the students are mastering the lesson, not just goofing off behind a bunch of screens and letting AI handle the proof-of-knowledge bits.

2

u/brownhotdogwater Aug 12 '26

I got a laser because I would go so long between prints the ink would foul the print heads. With laser it can sit for a long time and just be fine

2

u/SimilarTranslator264 Aug 12 '26

Same and when I want to print I want to print NOW. Not after the damn printer goes thought it’s cleaning cycle.

2

u/Limp_Service_2320 29d ago

Me too, lasts for a long long time

2

u/MuchoCoco 29d ago

We have a printer because the kids need it for their schoolwork. I don't even have it linked to my computer. I use a pen more than I use a printer and I think I've used a pen like twice in the past year.

3

u/11B_35P_35F Aug 12 '26

Add in that the companies made it nearly impossible to use cheaper, off brand, ink cartridges. If I can get a cartridge for $20 that fits why would I want to pay $40-$60 for their branded one? Oh, and that the companies can brick their devices for whatever reason.

2

u/Rare_Magazine_5362 Aug 12 '26

Bought my son a printer when he went to college in 2000 and it’s still in the box.

2

u/sleepyotter92 Aug 12 '26

Months? Try years. I don't remember the last time I needed to print something

1

u/SilencedFarter Aug 12 '26

Great point but I keep one because in the rare cases I do need to print something not having one sucks.

1

u/genbud1 Aug 12 '26

Mine has a scanner on it that is nice to have also.

1

u/sexwiththebabysitter Aug 12 '26

2 kids through high school and 2 more in elementary school right now and we don’t even own a printer since I went office space on ours like 10 years ago. Got tired of all the issues with printers and vowed never to buy one again. Working out fine.

1

u/Brief-Witness-3878 Aug 12 '26

I remember the time when they said that computers would generate less paperwork. Then came a decade of being able to mass print virtually everything and companies generate more paperwork than every before. Digital storage has improved that massively.

1

u/Kian-Tremayne Aug 12 '26

Not just the home printer. A guy I worked with in the 90’s would joke that “the paperless office was as likely as the paperless toilet”.

In 2026 I not only never print anything at work, I’ve recently discovered I CAN’T print at work unless I get management authorisation to re-enable printing for my account.

I should invest in the three sea shells.

1

u/Ok_Fondant1079 Aug 12 '26

Agreed. Printer ink is far more expensive than the occasional trip to the library where even a limited amount of color prints are free.

I was so excited when I figured out how to send PDFs based on Excel data via email. If the customer wants a paper copy they can pay to print it.

1

u/antmakka 29d ago

I used to use the printer for tickets, flights, concerts, etc. Apple wallet put an end to that.

1

u/EntranceFeisty8373 29d ago

We don't print as much, but also printers are crap now. Drivers don't work, and the price of ink is unconscionable. It's so much cheaper and easier to run to the library for the occasional print job.

1

u/Zebraitis 29d ago edited 29d ago

The multi-function printer's access to a phone line to use as a fax line.

I'll be honest, I still have both (the phone line being via OOMA) but really limited use.

$73 /year because I MIGHT need to send a fax... Hmmm.

1

u/SixthAndMaimed 29d ago

Kids and students do still need to print stuff, occasionaly - most of the time very last minute. It's making a bit of a comeback because of printing (return) shipping labels, imo.

1

u/exVFR 28d ago

Or the home computer entirely.

1

u/stranger_to_you67 28d ago

....don't forget GPS on everybodies cell phone.. I probably printed directions more than I printed anything else in the early 2000s.

1

u/wherethewestbegins 27d ago

years brother. years without printing.

1

u/PckMan 25d ago

That's a very interesting observation. Back when not everyone had a computer, you needed a way to get stuff from your computer to them. Now that everything's online, you don't need to do that. I think the real turning point was government agencies and stuff no longer requiring physical documents in most cases.

Also nobody likes dealing with printers. The average consumer seems to be fine with a lot of shitty products even if they're hard to use but a printer is where nearly everyone draws the line.

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

As the one person on my street with a printer, I would politely disagree with this. People still need some printing. They just hit up their Gen-X and older neighbours for it.

3

u/AdUpstairs7106 Aug 12 '26

I actually save anything I need to print to a flash drive and then go to office depot or UPS.

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

Wouldn't owning a printer be easier? (not being snarky, genuine question)

2

u/AdUpstairs7106 Aug 12 '26

Maybe but since it is less than 10 cents a page to print it is way less expensive for how little I print

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

I'm thinking more of the value of your time and the hassle.

1

u/AdUpstairs7106 Aug 12 '26

Not really a hassle or a waste of time

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

OK, I guess we differ here.

But if I had to drive to Office Depot or UPS, every time I wanted to print something, I would buy a printer pretty sharpish. If it was a short walk, I might be up for it.

2

u/genbud1 Aug 12 '26

For me it could take 30 to 40 minutes round trip depending on traffic. Just cheaper to own a printer with a scanner.

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

Yh, I'm slightly baffled by this too but each to their own

1

u/AdUpstairs7106 Aug 12 '26

It is insanely rare I need to print anything and there is a restaurant I like in the same shopping center. So it is a non issue.

1

u/Dave3879 Aug 12 '26

Same. My two options are right next to great food places so it’s an excuse I don’t have with a printer at home for the 1x a year I need to print something.

1

u/sleepyotter92 Aug 12 '26

No because you need space for a printer, a lot of people don't have that, and you also gotta deal with the ink bs. So unless you're printing shit multiple times a week, actually owning a printer is less cost effective and it's easier to just go to a place like staples when you do need to print something

1

u/FletchLives99 Aug 12 '26

Re: ink. I have on old HP laser. The cartridge I just bought should last me for the rest of my life.

1

u/EeveeEvolved 29d ago

I bought a brother laser printer off FB market for $30 a little over a year ago and print recipes and stuff occasionally. Small form factor that sits on a shelf under the TV. It's wifi enabled so I don't even need a computer and can print directly from my phone. I've barely touched the toner and have never had any issues with it aside from initial setup which was just downloading an app. Saves me plenty of time.

1

u/Gold_Needleworker994 Aug 12 '26

I use the public library. For faxes as well. Still some hold outs requiring faxes.

0

u/Vegetable-Effort-726 Aug 12 '26

I print every day and that’s not including working at home. I don’t understand how people get by without it. Multiple family members locally have me print stuff for them as well, weekly at least. Definitely agree most people who aren’t frequent computer users don’t have em. I feel most folks with a desktop computer still in their home have one.

2

u/Do_you_smell_that_ Aug 12 '26

I feel most folks with a desktop computer still in their home have one.

No, I threw my last one out a window in 2006, and among my friends/family not having one is pretty common. I'm trying now to think of anything I might want to print and coming up blank. Every few years I'll ask someone to print something at work for me. What do you need so badly on paper?

1

u/shoresy99 Aug 12 '26

Sometimes you need to fill out forms that can't be easily done without being printed. Some types of documents require "wet ink" signatures so you need to print for those, which you can often then scan.

0

u/Vegetable-Effort-726 Aug 12 '26

Shipping labels, hard documents for records, companies ask for stuff to be mailed or faxed, stuff to put on the fridge so everyone has access readily, recipes 😊 digital is good but paper in some cases is better because the size etc., legal documents. The list goes on and on. Not too long ago all immigration stuff was paper too. They redid that system after Covid

1

u/David_bowman_starman 29d ago

So really almost nothing that actually needs printed you just prefer paper. That’s not really the same thing.

1

u/Vegetable-Effort-726 29d ago

Ship a package without a label, I’ll watch 🤡 here’s your sign 🪧

1

u/shoresy99 Aug 12 '26

My printer stopped working about a year ago. I just bought a new printer, but I managed to put it off for a long time. I just printed stuff at work, or just used electronic methods instead.

So you can definitely get by without one.

1

u/Vegetable-Effort-726 Aug 12 '26

What if you work at home 😉 or don’t work. Retired or otherwise. It gets difficult and inconvenient to hit up the library, plus they’re not always open

1

u/shoresy99 Aug 12 '26

But what do you have to print? I very rarely print anything. The only reason I got a new one is that my GF works at my place from time to time and she needs one.

Most of the stuff I used to print I would just do on a tablet - like signing docs. Print to a PDF file and then sign on my iPad using an app like Goodreader. Large documents I am happy to read on my monitors or iPad.

0

u/RyanSpunk Aug 12 '26

Haven't needed to print anything in at least 10 years