Gone in a Flash

I was hit by two products today that will go by the way side in the future. It’s weird because you know it’s happening but you don’t see it happening unless you look at it from this perspective. 25 years from now the children won’t know what digital cameras and cars that run on gas are.

Stand Alone Camera

The smart phone has killed the digital camera. Why buy a completely separate camera when your phone takes pictures that are just as good? The completely specialized 1,000,000x zoom Nikon’s will always have a place in the professional world but the common folk who want a picture are satisfied with a still from their phone. Technology will continue to enhance this process making files smaller and pictures clearer. The worst part about it is that the visual technology doesn’t last more than a year or two before it becomes obsolete. Your phone takes good pictures for 2013 but won’t for 2015. It’s a constant nut shot. In 2025, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start blinking and taking pictures.

Just to add a little caveat to this section, I can’t stand people at concerts who hold their phones up to take pictures constantly. You’re at the concert, enjoy the concert. The fact that you want to take a picture to show your friends that you were at the concert proves how much of a phony you are. If you do this, you have been warned that it’s not a good look. A few are fine, recording a 3 hour concert is crossing the line.

Electric Car

Kids in 2025 will think we are dinosaurs with the way we got around off of gas. Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in battery and power management technologies, concerns about increasing oil prices, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Main drawbacks include the cost of electric vehicles, the lack of recharging infrastructure (other than home charging) and the driver’s fear of the batteries running out of energy before reaching their destination (range anxiety) due to the limited range of most existing electric cars. As of now, the higher initial cost of an electric car is not enough to offset the gas savings. This will change though as mass production of cars and batteries begins to counter this set back. It’s only a matter of time before gas stations become charging units. Oil companies will lobby extensively against this but it’s inevitable.

A few other examples: