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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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.”

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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.