Technology has advanced quite a lot since the 90s. The rate of growth has been exponential. Just a handful of years ago, smartphones were becoming common. Now, they have become popular beyond measure. You cannot walk around for ten minutes among people without spotting a new form of technology. Other than that, we feel that using technology has gotten much easier than it was before. In fact, it does not feel as annoying to interact with it as it would have in the 90s or the early 2000s.
So, what is it about old technology that people found annoying back then? To make a device work, people often had to go through some tedious steps. These steps were important otherwise the device would not work. All tech had some form of extra work associated with it. Earlier models meant more room for error.
1. The Desktop Mouse Technology
We all remember how the earlier computer mouse used to be. Nowadays they come fitted with sensors that make them work. Earlier, there was a physical sphere present inside the mouse that allowed its movement on the screen. We remember people often getting annoyed because the sphere was not working properly. They’d spend quite a lot of time opening up the mouse and adjusting or cleaning the sphere to make the mouse work.
2. Smartphone Batteries
These days, smartphones come fitted with non-removeable batteries that do not face a lot of heating issues or any issue that would warrant a removal. However, when smartphones first started to appear, they were prone to a lot of issues. The battery often got heated up or overcharging it caused the battery to swell. We’d see people opening the back, taking the battery out and putting it back in. This was because their smartphone would get stuck or lag. It was quite annoying.
3. Dial-up Internet Technology
When the internet first came out, it heavily relied on a landline connection to be established. People purchased cards that allowed them to load volume into their landlines to be able to use internet. It would take a long time to connect to and you could use it for a limited amount of time. It was only good for sending messages to long-distance loved ones or occasionally searching something on Google.
4. Tangled VHS Tapes
During the VHS tape era, the reel inside the tape would sometimes untangle inside the VCR. It would either get stuck in the pulleys or just start to rewind on its own. To open up the cover of the VCR and wind the tape back into the case was quite a tedious task. While VHS was the king of its time and we back on it fondly, we do not miss doing those tasks.
5. Limited Phone Storage
Earlier phones, which had a button dial, were quite limited in their storage capacity. You’d take a handful of photos and be left with no memory for more. You’d be constantly deleting older photos and videos to make room for new ones. How is one going to keep their memories from the time if the phone storage kept running out?
These are just a few of the annoying things we encountered with older technology. We are glad that the tech has evolved in the way that it has.
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