Engineering:List of obsolete technology

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This is a list of obsolete technology, superseded by newer technologies. Obsolescence is defined as the "transition from available to unavailable from the manufacturer in accordance with the original specification."[1] Newer technologies can mostly be considered as disruptive innovation. Many older technologies co-exist with newer alternatives, or are still in use due to cost, convenience, personal preference or availability. Some people still use their existing CD collections or their old functional equipment. Some prefer the sound of vinyl records. Specialist or niche applications use technology that may have become commercially obsolete, like the vacuum tube. Historical societies may maintain a working knowledge of old machines.

Most experimental creations and conceptions, particularly in early development of technologies, like that of steam power, have also never been recorded. Technologies that were never successfully developed, may have disappeared completely.[2] These are not contained in the following list. Also not included are spurious inventions - technologies which are generally considered to not possess their claimed capabilities, to be hoaxes, or to not have ever existed in the first place.

List of obsolete technology

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Obsolete technology Replacement Still used for
Bathing machine No longer required due to changing social standards of morality
Hourglass Clock Tasks where a fixed amount of time can be measured with a low-tech solution: Exposure time tracker in saunas (where electronics might be damaged by the heat or ultraviolet light); retro kitchen timers, board games, other short-term timers.
Manual vacuum cleaner, carpet sweeper Electric vacuum cleaner Carpet sweepers are sometimes used in commercial applications (like movie theatres) where the noise of an electric vacuum is unwelcome.
Primitive fire making Ferrocerium, Match, Lighter Practiced as backup survival skills if advanced methods unavailable.
Quill pen, reed pen, dip pen, fountain pen Ballpoint pen, felt tip pen, brush pen Calligraphy; ink drawing; personal preference; acting and historical re-enacting. Fountain pens in particular maintain use as fairly standard writing implements, and are in a state co-existence, rather than of obsolescence, despite reduced usage.
Sundial Clock Occasionally seen as a decoration in gardens and other outdoor settings.
Outhouse Flush Toilets, Sanitary sewers, Portable toilet, Chemical toilet Remote or undeveloped locations far from sewage systems.
Swamp cooler Air conditioning Dry climates; lower cost alternative in come climates.
Water clock, incense clock, candle clock Clock
Lighting
Incandescent light bulbs Fluorescent lamps, cold cathode lamps, high-intensity discharge lamp, LEDs Specialty purposes, especially for holiday decorations; devices where lower voltages and lumens are preferred or required. Mandatory phase-out of incandescent light bulbs is happening in some countries, usually only for general lighting; LEDs are also gradually replacing compact fluorescent lamps.
Moonlight towers Distributed street lighting
Producing light with fire. Early: candles, torches. Later: kerosene lamps, fuel-based lanterns, and gas light Flashlights, electric lights Torches sometimes used for performance purposes. Coleman Lanterns and similar are sometimes used for camping, but battery-powered lanterns are becoming more common. Gas lighting is still used for street lighting in some historic districts, but not indoors due to toxic emissions. Candles are still used for aesthetic purposes, both visual and olfactory. Gas and fuel based lanterns as well as candles may also be used to generate light in addition to flashlights during power outages.
Kitchens and cooking
Icebox Refrigerator Portable cooler boxes are still used for camping and for transportation of perishables. Also used in low-tech communities.
Open hearth cooking Kitchen stoves, ovens, barbecue grills, various small appliances Frequently done for reasons of flavour (usually specifically ovens); sometimes done during power outages, especially in the absence of gas stoves. Also done in historical recreations and re-enacting.
Toasting fork (for use with open flame to make toast) Toaster, toaster oven Camping; used in the winter in some houses lacking central heat as a matter of preference.
Turnspit dog Steam power, wind-up power, electrical power Extinct.
Audiovisual communication
Audio cassette, cassette player, Walkman Compact disc, MP3, MP3 player Playing older or archived recordings.
Analog television Digital television Mandatory digital television transition has been underway around the world since the 2000s.
Betamax Lost a format war to VHS Playing older or archived recordings.
Cathode ray tube Flatscreen Retrogaming; some specialty devices.
Portable CD player MP3 player Personal preference.
HD DVD Lost format war to Blu-ray Playback of older or archived recordings.
Dial-up Internet access Broadband Internet Still used in rural or remote areas.
LaserDisc Compact disks, DVDs, and Blu-ray Playback of older or archived recordings.
Overhead projector and slide projector Video projector Primarily for continued use of older materials. Some teachers find the overhead projector more convenient for lectures depending on their teaching style.
Phonograph and phonograph record Audio cassette, 8 track tape, CD, digital audio Used to play older or archived recordings. Additionally, records are preferred by some, especially by audiophiles, for their high fidelity. The focus of vinyl revival.
Telegraph Telephone, teletype, email, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System Revived as text messaging.
Video cassette recorder DVDs, digital video recorders Playback of older or archived recordings.
Computing, information storage, and office equipment
BlackBerry physical keyboards smartphones have keyboards displayed on the touchscreen when necessary Tasks that requires physical keyboards; devices used by the blind, especially those who are also deaf; personal preference.
Carbon paper Photocopier, cheap printing of multiple copies, carbonless copy paper Still used by some enterprises; in art as a medium or to transfer designs on to certain materials, such as glass or metal; for certain scientific experiments.
Credit card imprinters, with carbon paper Magnetic stripe cards, EMV (chips)
Dot-matrix impact printing Inkjet printer, laser printer Still used in some enterprises, especially for old carbon paper forms.
Faxes Email, World Wide Web Still used by some enterprises and sectors.
Mimeograph Photocopier, cheap printing of multiple copies
Pager Cell phones Still used in certain industries, especially in the medical industry.
Paper address book, Rolodex Contact list, electronic address book Personal address books remain common according to preference.
Paper card catalogs, edge-notched cards Computer databases Card catalogues still preferred by some libraries, usually when complementary to computer databases.
Paper data storage for computers (punch cards, punched tape) Magnetic data storage
Paper ledger Computerized spreadsheets and databases Used as backup and for small scale uses.
Paper map GPS-aided map software Used as navigational aids in numerous professions; personal preference; navigating in locales where GPS is unreliable or absent.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) Modern smartphones and tablet computers
Phone book Search engine and online database Yellow pages are still distributed for advertising purposes; the general phone book continues to be published and has some continued, albeit greatly reduced, practical function.
Printing press Rotary printing press, computer printing Still used for high-quality printing, especially reproductions of certain historical texts, such as the Gutenberg Bible.
Typewriter Word processor Used by some writers as less distracting or otherwise personally conducive to the writing process; personal preference; used by some artists as a medium of creation.
Abacus Mechanical calculator, digital calculator Still used as an exercise, learning tool, and to assist improving mental arithmetic; personal preference.
Slide rule, mechanical calculator Digital calculator, computer Still used as an exercise; mechanical calculators sometimes still used for calculations while travelling at high speeds.
Vacuum tube Transistor Vacuum tubes are still used in microwave ovens, RF communications and radar, high power industrial switching such as in pulsed lasers and generation of x-rays. They have found niche popularity in more expensive guitar amplifiers and hi-fi power amplifiers.
Transport
Airships Airplanes, helicopters; Project Loon replaced by cellular networks and land-based Internet services Advertising; adventures; research; long-duration surveillance; tourism.
Boneshaker, penny-farthing bicycle Safety bicycle (early version of the modern bicycle) Historical re-enactment.
Buggy whip Automobiles do not require them Horse transport: for utility in developing countries and low-tech communities, especially the Amish, and for driving.
Carburetor Fuel injection Small engine equipment and piston engine aircraft; less frequently used in serviceable antique cars.
Celestial navigation with lunar distance method and dead reckoning Marine chronometer to solve the longitude problem As an exercise and as backup.
Celestial navigation with sextant and marine chronometer Inertial guidance, radio navigation, radar navigation, satellite navigation Backup in case of electronic system failure or jamming, spaceflight where satellite and ground-based systems can't be used.
Cobblestone Concrete, asphalt Still used in some areas, primarily historic districts; driveways.
Draft animals for plows, carriages, light rail vehicles, canal boats Motorized boats, tractors, steam railroads, electric trolleys, cable cars, horseless carriages (automobiles) Sled dogs in arctic regions, especially of North American and Greenland. Horse-drawn carriages are recreational attractions in some highly developed cities; they continue to be used practically in low-tech communities; historical reenacting. Driving is also done for recreational and athletic ends.
Steam locomotive Diesel locomotive, electric locomotive Still used for historical heritage railways.
Steam tractor, or steam Traction engine Internal combustion powered Tractor Maintained by preservation societies and for historical demonstrations; steam turbines.
Marine steam engine and steamship Marine diesel engines, nuclear marine propulsion, aircraft for long-distance passenger travel
Ocean liner Airliners and jet airliners Only the RMS Queen Mary 2 is still in service as an ocean liner.
Pack animals Trucks and vans In developed countries, only in difficult terrain with no roads (e.g. Grand Canyon) or for tourist purposes; generally used in less developed areas and in low-tech communities.
Roman concrete Reinforced concrete Used for restoration of older structures; also used in combination with modern concretes to create more durable concretes.
Military
Early siege engines (siege towers, battering rams, catapults, ballistae, trebuchets) Artillery, aircraft Historical reenactments.
Forts, defensive walls, castles Vulnerable to air attack, useless to prevent the advance of aircraft Limited use of underground bunkers and civilian air raid shelters; some limited use as fortifications, depending on the military situation at hand.
Gunpowder Smokeless powder, high explosives, dynamite, ANFO Recreational shooting; historical reenactments. Also continues to be used outside of its military and industrial applications, most notably in fireworks.
Muzzleloader firearms Breech-loading weapons Historical reenactments.
Spears and other polearms Firearms Bayonets, spear fishing; used for some sports and in historical reenactments; part of some uniforms, such as the Swiss Guard.
Sword Firearms Issued for ceremonial purposes to NCOs and upwards; used for some sports and in historical reenactments; part of some uniforms, especially diplomatic ones.
Bow and arrow Firearms Used for some sports and in historical reenactments.
Medicine
Anatomical Machines Modern anatomical models
Iron lung Ventilator Cheap substitutes in case of shortages during an outbreak or pandemic.
Art
Han purple and Han blue Other pigments, synthetic dyes Restoration; some limited use among artists.

Co-existing technologies

Older technologies substantially co-existing with newer technologies include:

  • Analog watches are still widely used for reasons of fashion, readability, durability, and personal preference. The availability of digital watches with their potential smart watch capabilities, has not by any means, supplanted the analog watch. Other analog clocks persist along side their digital counterparts for similar reasons.
  • CDs are still used along side and in conjunction with MP3 players, mainly due to the significantly lower permanence of digital-only recordings and their somewhat lower audio-fidelity.
  • DVDs have not been displaced by Blu-rays.
  • Ignoring their supplementary uses (including providing back up both for heating and cooking during power outages), fireplaces are still used for primary heat in some houses in developed countries, especially older ones which have never been equipped to have any form of central heat. Although furnaces, electric heat, and other modern climate control systems are less polluting, can be better controlled, and can also provide cooling, the costs of installing such systems, especially to the architecture, can often significantly outweigh any gained advantages. If the building in question is on a historic preservation register, such modernization may in fact be legally prohibited. Furthermore, fireplaces remain in use as the primary heating for low-tech communities.
  • Ferry travel has not been completely displaced by bridges, tunnels, and airplanes.
  • Fords are still used for rural roads, although bridges have replaced them for most roads in most developed countries. Fords are cheaper and can typically transport more weight than a bridge, thus may be preferred for crossings with low traffic depending on the typical water level and the terrain.
  • Hammers have not been displaced by nail guns, due to the very limited practical use of the latter.
  • Hot water bottles continue to be used along with electric blankets and heating pads.
  • Landline telephones are still used, especially in areas with poor cellphone coverage. That said, even in areas with good cellphone coverage, they remain in use, especially as a backup in the event of power outages.
  • Long-distance travel by railroads and highway has to some degree been displaced by airplane, but not entirely, in part due to the higher expense and subsequent issues with terrorism. Countries adopting high-speed rail use domestic flights even less regardless due to the ease and lower expense of rail-travel.
  • Postal mail continues to be used alongside email, but with substantial decreases in personal correspondence outside of special occasions, due to the availability of text messages and email. Postal services, being a constant necessity for packages, also deliver messages included in the packages, often being personal correspondence. Postal mail remains primary for nearly all government correspondence to individual citizens, such as calls to jury duty and tax returns.
  • Pneumatic tubes for moving documents and postal items continue to be used along side email, especially where quick transportation of a specific copy of a document or small package is needed, such as in hospitals or banks. Pneumatic tubes for passenger transport have been used in atmospheric railway to provide motive power, like a cable car system.
  • Outside of historical reenacting and sports, shields co-exist with bulletproof vests, and are used by riot police. Lighter-weight and stronger materials are available compared to ancient wooden and bronze shields, including clear plastic shields and bulletproof shields mounted on firing platforms.
  • Carbonless copy paper co-exists with digital copying, mainly for some forms where multiple copies with a signature or other writing done in situ are required.
  • The sewing needle has not been displaced by the sewing machine. Due to its greater speed and physical limitations, machine sewing is used for tasks such as seams, hems, and other basic work (especially when involving flat, regularly-shaped material and results), while hand sewing persists for mending and more elaborate work. Additionally, many forms of textile work continue to be practiced using manual methods both for the production of specialty and high-end items and as a hobby.

See also

This list is by no means complete. Also look at the following:

References

  1. ↑ IEC 62402:2019 Obsolescence Management - published 15 July 2019 ISBN 978 0 580 96776 4
  2. ↑ "Lost Inventions". Scientific American 3 (35): pp. 278. 20 May 1848. 



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