What Tech Will Your Grandkids Not Recognize?

Back in November, Techcitement talked about how much technology has changed and how much the 10 and under set have acclimated to this new tech as the baseline norm. Pop culture has plenty of references to tech that existed for kids in the 80s and 90s, leading parents to have to explain things to confused children.

“Games had 8 bits and were played on these things called cartridges. Sometimes they wouldn’t work and you had to blow on them, which actually did nothing to help.”

The thing is, this isn’t a new concept. My own grandmother was a telephone operator back in the days when you called an operator to connect your call. The idea that her grandchildren had no idea that dialing direct was “high tech” amused the heck out of her. Yet our TV shows were full of references to old school operators. One has to wonder, what currently cutting edge tech will be passé in the next few decades?

Computers without Touchscreens

I’ve wanted touch screen computers ever since Star Trek: The Next Generation first premiered, and we’re slowly getting them. As more and more people grow up with touchable smartphones and tablets, people begin to take touch controls for granted. Everyone’s seen that insanely cute video of the little kid trying to gesture her way through a magazine, yes?

I’m honestly shocked Apple has yet to introduce a touch-based iMac, but I’m willing to put cash money down that it will happen in the next two years. This is especially true with Microsoft’s Windows partners all heavily investing in it right now.

Wallets and Key Chains

Tech companies used to be satisfied just taking your money, but now they want to manage it too. You can already access your bank accounts anywhere via mobile devices. As near field communication (NFC) continues to be rolled out, services like Google Wallet mean there’s no real reason to carry a bank card. While Wallet may be limited to certain hardware, it’s only one of many solutions out there. For instance, a babysitter in my neighborhood takes credit cards, thanks to a free dongle from PayPal.

Sure, he loses a percentage to them, but it means I don’t need to stop at the bank.

For those who use wallets to hold store loyalty and frequent flyer cards, there are numerous solutions for those. Apple Passbook and Samsung Wallet are the top two for iOS and Android, featuring notifications and great vendor support. Gone are the reward cards and the key chain fobs.

Key chains themselves may go the way of the dodo by the time this generation’s kids are parents. Cars already are going keyless, and with NFC, it’s easy to think that we might see houses go the same way in the next few years.

Physical Media

Ye and the wax cylinder begat the vinyl, which begat the 8-track, which begat the cassette, which begat the CD. The bastard child of CD, the LaserDisc, would give us the DVD and the Blu-ray disc. What’s missing from this evolution of media playback is the constant format fights. Most recently, the Blu-ray fought it out with DVD-HD, but it’s not over. Any physical format is going to have competition, and companies and consumers seem to be willing to sidestep that with the digital format. Apple gets the credit for this, but Napster should. People have gotten used to having their content in non-physical form, even if it means they don’t actually own it.

Seriously, read your End User License Agreement some time.

Add to that change in media type the trend to not include expandable memory in smartphones and cameras that are cloud connected, and I think the only major storage shifts we’ll see in the nearing future are ones in internal hard drives.

Thermostats

Yes, really. Nest has already changed the game by replacing programmable thermostats with smart ones. I was impressed when my energy provider in New Jersey gave me a free programmable thermostat, but Nest’s partnership with Reliant in Texas is even more impressive.  

Nest isn’t the only game in town though. EverSense has come up on the radar since CES 2012. In development by Austin-based Allure, this smart thermostat’s most impressive feature is location awareness. Nest may learn, but EverSense will actually follow you.

EverSense and Nest feel like the first steps to a true smart home. We may not be far off from an EverSense-like device to dim lights when it senses you’re becoming sleepy or a Nest to heat your hot water for a bath at simple loudly-spoken commands.

Devices like this make me think that today’s digital thermostats will eventually get the same reaction as the ancient thermostat in my house did from my kids.

“Dad, this clock is all kinds of messed up! Also, what is a non-digital clock?”

Fill in the Blank

This is where you, the reader, come in. What technology do you think will be replaced by the time today’s pre-teens reach adulthood? Let us know in the comments. Best one will win a surprise: a bit of future antique tech.