I asked myself “if you own an iPhone, an iPad, an Apple Watch, and a pair of AirPods, what do you really not need any more?” Even though I had some idea of what to expect, the length of the final list came as a genuine surprise.
While it’s true that many of the single-purpose devices or services on this list can be better suited to that single purpose than our software-driven chameleons, is it really any wonder that even those of us who consider ourselves modern, cosmopolitan, adaptable, tech-savvy, etc., can sometimes find making a home for ourselves in the 21st century a daunting proposition?
- Alarm Clock
- Barcode Scanner
- Bookstores
- Calendar/Appointment Book
- Camera
- Carpenter’s Level
- Cash, Credit and Debit Cards
- CD/DVD Player
- Checkbook
- Clock
- Compass
- Cookbooks/Recipe Files
- Dictionaries/Thesauruses.
- Document Scanner
- EKG/Pulse Oximeter
- Fax Machine
- Encyclopedia
- Filing Cabinets
- Garage Door Opener
- House Keys
- Interpreters/Translators
- Keyring Flashlight
- Kitchen, Laundry, etc. Timers
- Letters/Postcards
- Magnifying Glass
- Maps and Gazetteers
- Mirror
- Movie Theaters
- Music and Video Stores
- Newspapers/Magazines/Books
- Newsstands
- Note Pad
- OCR Reader
- Pedometer
- Photo Albums
- Photocopier/Fax Machine
- Portable Videogame Console
- Public Libraries
- Radio
- Record, CD and Tape Collections
- Rolodex
- Still and Movie Cameras
- Stopwatch
- Stores/Shops
- Tape Measure
- Tape Recorder
- Telephone/Telegraph
- Television
- Turntable
- Typewriter
- Video Recorder
- Wired Headphones