5 Tech products that will be obsolete in 5 years.

[shaolinpunk]

It's great for catching on TV programmes - we used it for Breaking Bad and the US version of The Killing, for example. But it's terrible for films, most of them are of the "straight to DVD" variety - we've had Netflix for about 18 months and have seen, I think, three films from it - pretty much all there is worth watching

It's a bit harsh to write off their film selection as being mostly straight-to-DVD. There are some crackers, old and new, but the catalogue is always playing catchup to the US. If you flick across to their Netflix you get a much bigger selection.

 

[The Large One]

"low end digital cameras" - your man is talking bollocks on this one. I have a 2007 vintage Sony camera that has superior optics and a better flash than my smartphone. I would confidently predict that a sub £100 camera of today will outperform a smartphone in 5 years.

Can't disagree.

I have a camera on my phone, and the quality, compared to my digital camera is shite. The picture may be bigger on my phone, but not necessarily better. It's good for snaps, but that's about it.

Phone camera technology and use still needs improving.

 

[Gwylan]

It's a bit harsh to write off their film selection as being mostly straight-to-DVD. There are some crackers, old and new, but the catalogue is always playing catchup to the US. If you flick across to their Netflix you get a much bigger selection.

We spent a couple of hours before Christmas flicking through the entire Netflix film catalogue, there wasn't one film that we could stomach seeing, it seemed to be a never-ending list of teen slasher movies.

We only have the basic Netflix service so don't have the option of the US version - I don't think it's even been offered to us

 

[The Large One]

We spent a couple of hours before Christmas flicking through the entire Netflix film catalogue, there wasn't one film that we could stomach seeing, it seemed to be a never-ending list of teen slasher movies.

We only have the basic Netflix service so don't have the option of the US version - I don't think it's even been offered to us

The list of films on Virgin Media is pretty much the same.

Why can't they cater for art-house types?

 

[Cian]

Exactly this, I've some outlandish claims about the performance of iPhone cameras and entirely agree with your prediction..... I even read an article questioning why one would need to carry a DSLR when you have a smart phone!

The camera on the iPhone is amazingly crap for the price and 'prestige' of the phone, though. Look at what the Lumias are packing by comparison.

Anyway, the low-end digital cameras they're referring to are the ~10mpix pricepoint (whatever they cost now - I've not upgraded my digital camera since I got a Nokia N8 years ago and my main camera is a film Rebel still, seeing as it gets used about once a year). Those will probably be obliterated.

 

[brightn'ove]

The problem with this article is that 5 years is a very short space of time. What is obsolete from 5 years ago now?

 

[Biscuit]

The problem with this article is that 5 years is a very short space of time. What is obsolete from 5 years ago now?

MiniDisc?

 

[The Large One]

The problem with this article is that 5 years is a very short space of time. What is obsolete from 5 years ago now?

The last vestiges of supreme optimism surrounding those who believed England could win the World Cup.

 

[shaolinpunk]

We only have the basic Netflix service so don't have the option of the US version - I don't think it's even been offered to us

Accessing the US version requires jiggerypokery on your part, depending what you use to view it. On a computer it just needs a simple browser extension whereas on, for example, a games console it needs you to alter your network settings.

 

[banjo]

Accessing the US version requires jiggerypokery on your part, depending what you use to view it. On a computer it just needs a simple browser extension whereas on, for example, a games console it needs you to alter your network settings.

Can this be done on an ipad ?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I agree with both of these. What a complete crock of poo.

As do I. The prediction doesn't take account that Netflix actually has a fairly small library of films. Many a time I've thought "I haven't seen x film for ages. I'll see if it's on Netflix." 9/10 it's not and I resort to buying it from Amazon for less than a fiver. It also doesn't account for the rise in people buying car DVD players for long journeys.

 

[shaolinpunk]

Can this be done on an ipad ?

Probably - search google for it as there are guides for most devices I think

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

The problem with this article is that 5 years is a very short space of time. What is obsolete from 5 years ago now?

Blackberry phones.

 

[Cian]

MiniDisc?

Longer ago. One thing I've noticed dying off hugely is CD drives in computers.

Five years ago, the five year ago period (does that make any sense?) would have had CRT TVs, Minidiscs, VHS as things that had gone obsolete. Like Minidiscs all still work and still have specific niches - there's still plenty of radio stations reliant on minidisc for ad playout and stings for starters.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Blackberry phones.

Yet I have my work one sitting right next to me

 

[brightn'ove]

MiniDisc?

But minidisc was dead long before 2009 though. I can't think of anything that I used in 2009 that I still don't use now.

 

[Puppet Master]

Think bluray will stick about, they're still pretty sick

 

[Curious Orange]

I still use minidisc for listening to music in the car - so it isn't entirely obsolete.

I'm still wondering about the tumble-dryer suggestion though!?!

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Yet I have my work one sitting right next to me

It depends what you mean by obsolete - I'm not saying Blackberry phones no longer exist or that people aren't using them but the whole paradigm of what made Blackberry so strong (IT dictating what phones employees use, emphasis on security over usability, the supremacy of the keyboard as input method, phones as phones rather than a computer platform) no longer exists.

Moving a few years before, Personal Digital Assistants (like Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor and Pocket PCs) would also fit some definition of obsolete.

 

[Wozza]

"low end digital cameras" - your man is talking bollocks on this one. I have a 2007 vintage Sony camera that has superior optics and a better flash than my smartphone.

He's not talking bollocks.

Sadly, the typical person isn't that bothered about quality, and doesn't think about low-light performance.

They want convenience - eg a camera which is always on them, and an easy way to share images.

Regardless of the quality issues, smartphones have already killed the lower-end camera market.

I would confidently predict that a sub £100 camera of today will outperform a smartphone in 5 years.

That's just nonsense.

Smartphones will get bigger sensors (much bigger than a current £100 camera).

And, within five years, some are bound to have a pop-up flash and detachable lenses.