Businesses That Technology Made Obsolete
30-12-2025 | Posted By: Aditya Singh | 100 View(s)
Times change and so do we as Year’s pass on.What was so common and important for us in the days when we were young is not to be seen today as they could not cope up with the changing Trends and Lifestyle and most importantly technological advancements made them completely obsolete.Here are a few things which used to be so common earlier but cannot be seen today.
🎥 1. Video Rental Stores (VHS / DVD)
Once weekend essentials, these stores collapsed after:
Online streaming
Digital downloads
Smart TVs & OTT platforms
Lesson: Convenience beats ownership.
💿 2. CD & DVD Music Stores
Physical music sales fell due to:
MP3 downloads
Streaming platforms
Cloud storage
Music didn’t die—the medium did.
📞 3. STD/ISD & PCO Booths
There was a time when you could see substantial ques outside PCO booths to make STD/ISD Calls and they could be found at every street corner.Now they stand completely wiped out by:
Mobile phones-Cheap data plans-WhatsApp & internet calling
A textbook example of mass disruption.
🖼️ 4. Photo Film & Developing Labs
Kodak and Fujifilm was a must when we used to travel earlier and could be found in every part of the city and was so important to carry these films on our trips to take those memorable photographs.
Destroyed by:
Digital cameras-Smartphone photography-Cloud storage & social media
Photography exploded—film processing vanished.
🗺️ 5. Traditional Travel Agencies
Struggled after:
Online booking portals
Airline & hotel apps
Price comparison websites
Survivors pivoted to luxury or customized travel.
📰 6. Print Classified Ads
Lost relevance due to:
Online job portals
Real estate platforms
Social media marketplaces
Speed and reach changed everything.
🧾 7. Typing & DTP Centers (Basic Work)
Once depended on by:
Students and Government paperwork
Reduced by:
Word processors-Smartphones-AI tools
Only specialized centers survived.
📠 8. Fax Machine Services
Remember those Fax Machines from Panasonic and other Brands.Now completely forgotten.
Replaced by:
Email-Cloud sharing-E-signatures
Fax went from “essential” to “museum artifact.”
📚 9. Encyclopaedia Sales (Door-to-Door)
Collapsed due to:
Search engines
Online knowledge platforms
Free information access
Information became instant and free.
🎧 10. MP3 Player & iPod Accessory Sellers
Killed by:
Smartphones
Streaming apps
One device replaced many.
🖨️ 11. Internet Cafés
Declined because:
Home broadband
Smartphones
Public Wi-Fi
Still survive in rural or gaming-focused niches.
⌚ 12. Watch Repair (Basic Models)
Low-cost digital watches and smartwatches made repairs pointless—replacement is cheaper than fixing.
13. Magazines and Newspapers
It used to be the lifeline in the lives of so many people-Now people have moved on to Digital mediums thereby reducing the sale of Printed Versions.
14.Old Nokia Phones
It was Nokia which heralded the Mobile boom but could not stand up to the ever changing technological trends to be completely wiped out by Samsung,Apple etc.
15. The old Fat Tv’s of our Times.
They have now given way to much sleeker models with razor sharp clarity and their size is getting bigger and bigger. Earlier the norm was 14 inches or 21 inches which stands completely forgotten today as nobody likes to watch on smaller screens.
🧠 Why These Businesses Failed
Common patterns:
❌ Didn’t adapt fast enough
❌ Ignored digital trends
❌ Relied on physical presence only
❌ Underestimated consumer convenience
