Don’t Let Obsolete Technology Get You Down

We thought we were on the cutting edge when we had these “newfangled” contraptions, but today they are so old school – and most often, totally inoperable! Staying apace with technology is important to sustain business and to stay viable in the new waves of technology. You do not have to keep up with the ever changing fast-paced world of technology, let us do that for you! Working with the pros at Catapult Tech Systems who stay on top of the innovations in their field means you stay up, too!

What is obsolete technology?

This article will take a fun look at some of the technology that was thought to be cutting edge in its time but is now considered dinosaurs. You might remember many of these but there are plenty of the younger generation that do not. Ask your kids or your grandkids what some of these are. Don’t be surprised if all you get are blank stares or wrinkled brows.

Typewriters

Typewriters were the precursor to first the word proce3ssor and then to the personal computer. Typewriters were a huge step forward from the pencil and pen. The foundations of the typewriter date as far back as 1575.

Word Processor

When we all were tired of using correction tape and starting over on our papers on the typewriter, along came the word processor to save the day. Yes, it was cutting edge to replace another piece of obsolete technology. Essentially it was like a computer but only had Word on it and the screen was only a few inches large. Computers came along and could do everything a word processor could do and so much more that the word processor became obsolete.

Dot Matrix Printers

Before we had fancy inkjet and laser printers, we had dot-matrix. They could only print in black and white. They printed, as the name suggests, with a series of tiny dots. They were noisy, slow, and cumbersome, but they did the job. Remember the green and white printer paper that came accordion folded so it would feed into the machine? We can all remember peeling off the edge of the pages with the holes.

Fax

A Fax Machine is a modern version of the telegram or telex. The fax allowed us to send documents from one to another via the phone line (a land line). Faxes always required their own dedicated line and even today some industries still rely on the fax machine. With the popularity and accessibility of email and the advancements of the PDF, fax machines are becoming obsolete technology.

Analogue and Dial-Up Modems

Back in the “old days” we needed one of these to access the internet. You had to use the phone to access the web, a land line phone at that. It required a lot of patience to get a connection, and if you received a phone call why you were online, you were immediately booted off-line and would have to start over! If you’re after a bit of nostalgia, then just listen to this recorded clip of what it used to sound like.

Floppy Disks

In the 1970’s we could use an 8-inch floppy disc to store 80kB of computer data. By the mid 1980’s the 8-inches went down to a 3.5-inch disk and the storage was up to 1.44mB. Disks were vulnerable to damage and easily corrupted and by the 1990’s software size outgrew their capability. Adobe Photoshop required over 12 disks to run! Then CD-ROM took over. Now we have thumb drives and they are used almost exclusively for storing data.

Mini Cassette

Mini Cassette Recorders, or Dictaphones, came in many formats with many different data mediums. They were used mostly to record interviews, conversations, and class lectures to assist later in study and note taking. Today, the modern smart phone and computers are able to do this for us, without needing a second device. They can even convert the file to words and print out a transcript or document. Yes when equipment becomes obsolete technology we definitely get more drawer space.

Overhead Projectors

This is a classroom classic that is so simple yet vital for projecting images, text, drawings, and maps onto a large screen for the group to see. Transparent sheets of acetate were used to hold the information to be presented on the screen. With projectors that are able to connect to computers, WIFI and SMART boards, the overhead projector is almost completely obsolete.

Where does all the new technology leave you?

Emerging technologies, as opposed to obsolete technologies, tend to refer to new or in development technology. If successful, they may make existing popular technologies obsolete over time. Technology advancements come at light speed. It doesn’t take long for the latest and greatest new innovations to become obsolete technology. Along with becoming obsolete, the speed at which new technology works far exceeds the capability of old hardware.

And then there is the software that is used to manage and operate all your processes and systems. Remember when you used to buy software on a disk? Then we began downloading it from websites on the internet. Now, many of our operations and systems behind them operate in the cloud and we simply share or rent them in a service. You know, SaaS.

No matter what with every new bit of technology comes new security issues. That means more efficient and protective systems and very quickly it becomes a complex web. That is also why the degree of research required to understand a system and its requirements are critical to maintaining security of your network.

No one can be expert at all of that and run a business. Something always suffers. Enter Catapult Tech Solutions. We focus on IT and stay abreast of changes, new technology and new threats – so you don’t have to!

Let us at Catapult Tech Solutions help you be sure that you don’t fall behind the times in IT! Call us today and let us help you optimize your company’s technology systems!

(317) 350-8928

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