Forecasting the future of everyday household items can be tricky, yet by observing current trends and the rapid pace of technological innovation, we can anticipate which items might soon fall out of use. As technology evolves and lifestyles shift, some familiar objects may no longer fit into our daily routines. This article explores a selection of household items that could be on their way to becoming obsolete in the coming years.
Remote Controls
“TV remotes are an antiquated piece of technology,” Gilles Boisselet, creative partner at UNIT9, told Forbes. “They don’t embed software. They’re ugly. And they’re unhelpfully proprietary.” As a result, smart home devices and voice-controlled systems like Alexa are rendering remote controls obsolete, integrating control seamlessly into single devices or apps.
Alarm Clocks
“Alarm clocks will be replaced by devices that auto-interact with our behavior,” says Doreen Amico-Sorell, an interior designer for Sorell Interiors. Smartphones and smart home devices with built-in alarm functions are making standalone alarm clocks redundant.
House Keys
A 2020 report from Data Bridge Market Research reveals that the smart lock market is poised to double what it was in 2017. People are opting to stop losing their keys by just not carrying them in the first place. Digital and smart locks make it easy to open our doors with a code or biometrics.
Pens and Paper
With laptops, tablets, and smartphones always readily available to take notes on, people writing things down with pen and paper is becoming increasingly rare. While there are still some holding on to their paper planners and journals for dear life, their availability may become increasingly limited in the next 20 years.
Corded Vacuums and Mops
Automating our cleaning? Yes, please! Cordless and robot vacuums have been popular due to convenience, and they are getting smarter. Vacuums and automated mops can be run on an app that actually has your space mapped out to make sure every corner gets cleaned and pet bowls are avoided. Not only has there been an uptick in the number of companies making robot vacuums, but in 2018, Dyson announced that it would cease making corded vacuums entirely, as reported by The Guardian.
CDs
It’s no surprise that the CD will be disappearing; we’ve seen it throughout history with vinyl, 8-track cassettes, and now CDs. When we get better technology, we move on. The iPod changed the music world by making it convenient to digitally carry your music around. Now we have digital music streaming services, making listening to your favorite tunes even easier.
Dictionaries
Every home used to have a dictionary and probably a set of encyclopedias, but today, online resources and digital assistants are making physical reference books unnecessary. Within the next 20 years, physical dictionaries will be gracing the shelves of antique shops.
Paper Bills and Mail
We don’t think anyone will miss the piles of bills and junk mail that litter the kitchen table. People have been switching over to electronic billing and communication, which is reducing the need for paper mail. As soon as every company catches on, we may see the end of unsolicited paper mail altogether.
Single Use Kitchen Appliances
People are looking for ways to save space and make life easier. The Crockpot paved the way for cooking while not even at home, and it has gotten steps up with Instant Pots and air fryers that have multiple uses to make cooking faster and less laborious. Soon, all kitchens will be equipped with appliances that practically do everything for us.
Traditional Thermostats
Why get up to reset your thermostat or come home to a way-too-hot or way-too-cold home after a vacation? Smart thermostats that learn and adapt to user behavior are becoming more common. We can even access them from an app anywhere in the world to be sure our home is the right temperature for our pets, plants, and, of course, ourselves.
Satellite TV
Satellite TV has to change with the times. It became too expensive to have hundreds of channels that seemed never to have anything on them. This lent itself to the rise of on-demand streaming services, leading to the decline of traditional satellite TV packages.
Desktop Computers
Our spaces are getting smaller on average, and having a tower and monitor for a traditional desktop computer in our home office just isn’t practical anymore. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones are also becoming more powerful, making the need for a stationary desktop diminish for average consumers.
Physical Books
Once, people used to go to the bookstore or library and peruse the aisles of books, looking for the one that spoke to them. Now people can hop online and google the type of book they want and have it downloaded to their e-reader or phone within seconds. While they may never completely disappear, walking into someone’s home and seeing shelves of the books they’ve read is steadily going away.
Traditional Watches
This may break the hearts of watch collectors, but people love things that have multiple functions instead of just one. Smartwatches and fitness trackers that offer additional functionalities beyond timekeeping may replace traditional watches for many users. Don’t worry too much about style; with new technology come new designs to keep you looking sharp.
Cookbooks
We used to have a bookshelf of cookbooks with our favorite types of cuisines and possibly a box of family recipes on handwritten cards. Today, we can just tap on our phones to find new ideas for dinner. Digital recipe databases and cooking apps are making physical cookbooks less essential in the kitchen.
Incandescent Light Bulbs
Energy-efficient lighting like LEDs and CFLs is replacing incandescent bulbs due to environmental concerns and legislation. In fact, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act limited the production of common household incandescents.
Chequebooks
Someone asking for a cheque payment already has anyone millennial or younger scratching their heads. Most banks don’t even issue a chequebook when you open an account like they used to, but you can still request one. Digital banking and payment platforms have taken over and will finally end paper-based financial transactions within the next few years.
Computer Printers
Every home used to have a printer. We used them to print paperwork, map directions, and so much more. Now almost everything can be done digitally, though about once or twice a year we still have to dust off our printers to print something that needs to be a physical copy. By 2030, having a printer in your home will be as rare as a landline phone.
DVD and Blu-ray Players
Samsung confirmed to Forbes in early 2019 that it was getting out of the Blu-ray player game for good. Streaming services are making physical media players less relevant. So pack up those boxes of VHS and DVDs; every movie you’ve ever loved is on the internet somewhere.
Charging Cords
Sure, we have charging docks that you can place your phone on without actually plugging it in, but the second you move your phone or put the wrong case on it, it stops charging. Within the next two decades, our devices will be able to charge with electricity in a room like WiFi. We’ll finally be able to empty that drawer of old chargers we think we might need one day.