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Retro Technology

The place to chat about audio/video devices & software, mobile phones & mobile plans, computer hardware & software, and other electronic gadgets.
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Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Retro Technology

Post by Turkeytop » Sat Jul 20, 2019 7:41 pm

When I first saw this article, I thought it was something that would validate me. Make me feel good about myself. Would show that I'm not the only one who embraces old technology.

But then when I read it, I discovered that some of the technologies they refer to as 'retro' are technologies I haven't yet adopted. Things like I pods, DVD players, instant film cameras, camcorders, DVRs.

Maybe I am a Luddite.

Why people still love retro technology like iPods and instant-film cameras


New York (CNN Business)That beaten up Walkman buried in your basement might be someone's hot new accessory. The retro tech market is alive and kicking.

In May, Apple refreshed the iPod touch for the first time in four years. Vinyl record sales clocked in at 400 million on average over the past four years, according to data from data tracker Statista. DVD player sales are trending downward, but they still consistently hit four million units sold every holiday quarter, even as recently as 2018.

Other gadgets that have stayed the course: camcorders, radios, clock radios, desk phones, and DVRs. Millions of these are still in use in US households in 2017, according to Statista.

What drives people to continue purchasing vinyl records, instant film cameras, and iPods, long after new products have made those objects irrelevant?

Older gadgets have a lot of staying power because they allow people to unplug from the constant ping of smartphones and tablets.

"There's a growing segment of people that would like to be disconnected but still have access to the things they want," said Ryan Reith, program vice president of mobile devices at International Data Corporation, "So it fills a void in the market."

Many vintage products attract a strong cult following. For example, IPod lovers anticipate Apple's product refreshes on social media and online forums.

Apple (AAPL) also appears to be targeting kids in its iPod marketing, according to Paul Gagnon, executive director of research and analysis at IHS Markit.

"The brands are starting to build a young consumer base and then eventually transition them as they grow older to more expensive products the company might also make," he noted.

Instant cameras with film are also popular among teens. Fujifilm, which makes Polaroid-like cameras with film that instantly develops, said its sales are holding steady. In its fiscal year ending in March, it sold over 10 million cameras and smartphone printers worldwide. Fujifilm says it's been able to cross generational boundaries by attracting photographers in the digital age.

Nostalgia plays a big part in old tech's popularity, too. It can give people that comforting feeling of their childhoods or remind them of a specific time and place.

On social media networks like Tumblr and Pinterest, vintage images rack up thousands of likes and shares. Disposable cameras often trend on Pinterest (PINS).

"The pace of companies selling new devices and forcing old technology into obsolescence means that certain devices are associated with certain periods in history," said Michael Connor, artistic director of Rhizome, a digital art organization.
Vintage gadgets can help people enjoy technology while allowing people to feel connected to the real world. Smartphones often have the opposite effect.

That's why people still buy alarm clocks and calculators, even though a smartphone has all those functions.
"The smartphone is a bit of a Swiss Army knife. But it's not necessarily specialized," said Gagnon.
Some people will find it easy to use the phone to replace all those older gadgets, he said. But "a lot of people out there either don't own a smartphone, or for them using those functions is not easy. For those people, legacy products will always exist."

And some people like the artistry of older gadgets. People seek out physical items, but they want "a filtered, idealized version" of those things, said Amanda Brennan, Tumblr's "meme librarian" and head of content insights and social.

"Polaroids often look blurry, vinyl sound quality is nowhere near an MP3 or stream — but it makes them feel more vibrant, more real-life," she said.

Older products carry with them unique experiences. Connor, the artistic director, describes how a pixel looks different on an old cathode-ray-tube monitor when compared with a modern-day display. On a CRT monitor, a pixel has a "soft low res quality" that can be artistically appealing, said Connor.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/12/tech/vin ... index.html


Admitting you have a problem is the second step. The first step is finding a problem you really enjoy.

Deleted User 24

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Deleted User 24 » Sat Jul 20, 2019 8:33 pm

My wife is in the market for a new vehicle. It must have a CD player or she won't consider it. We have more than 1,000 compact discs.



FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:04 am

"Older gadgets have a lot of staying power because they allow people to unplug from the constant ping of smartphones and tablets."

Or perhaps it is because they still work?



organman95
Posts: 582
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:49 pm

Re: Retro Technology

Post by organman95 » Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:02 am

Buy an after-market stereo if you have to. I have found some online that are designed with 'old design' in mind, yet is current tech.



Deleted User 24

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Deleted User 24 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:21 pm

She has a complex spreadsheet listing the models she is considering, complete with option packages, preferred colir choices, MSRPs, etc. She's got six choices to test in the next few weeks: 2 from Honda, 2 from Toyota, 1 from Nissan and one from Subaru. All can be equipped with a CD player from the factory.



FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:38 pm

I have a number of Luddite friends who insist on their CD's

My best advice as a long time "audiophile", car stereo freak and music fan is to put her files on her phone and bluetooth that stuff.

I put a $150 bluetooth / tuner into my daughter's Honda and was shocked at how well it functioned.



FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:45 pm

Jeff Dugan wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:24 pm
All Japanese cars, interesting that not to many if any of the big 3 still put CD players in their vehicles. Do they still sell cars with AM only radios, if so I want one. :rollin
Maybe not... " The US-built Toyota Camry took the top spot in 2015 and 2016 as the most American-Made car with over 75 percent of its parts and manufacturing coming from the United States." #2 for domestic content is the Honda.



Deleted User 24

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Deleted User 24 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:06 pm

My Outback was built in Indiana in a zero-landfill-waste plant.



User avatar
Turkeytop
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Turkeytop » Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:25 pm

FET-500 wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:45 pm
Jeff Dugan wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:24 pm
All Japanese cars, interesting that not to many if any of the big 3 still put CD players in their vehicles. Do they still sell cars with AM only radios, if so I want one. :rollin
Maybe not... " The US-built Toyota Camry took the top spot in 2015 and 2016 as the most American-Made car with over 75 percent of its parts and manufacturing coming from the United States." #2 for domestic content is the Honda.
Is it Union Made?


Admitting you have a problem is the second step. The first step is finding a problem you really enjoy.

FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:27 am

Turkeytop wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:25 pm
FET-500 wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:45 pm
Jeff Dugan wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:24 pm
All Japanese cars, interesting that not to many if any of the big 3 still put CD players in their vehicles. Do they still sell cars with AM only radios, if so I want one. :rollin
Maybe not... " The US-built Toyota Camry took the top spot in 2015 and 2016 as the most American-Made car with over 75 percent of its parts and manufacturing coming from the United States." #2 for domestic content is the Honda.
Is it Union Made?
Union? Do they have those in Mexico?

Vertical integration kinda' died with Henry Ford. Most automobiles are built out of parts that arrive in returnable dunnage from Mexico and China.

Besides... the UAW people are going to prison. https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ ... 862682001/



FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:31 am

Vic Doucette wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:06 pm
My Outback was built in Indiana in a zero-landfill-waste plant.
ISO 14001 rules...



User avatar
Turkeytop
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Turkeytop » Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:01 pm

FET-500 wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:27 am


Besides... the UAW people are going to prison.
Just like Trump campaign workers and former Trump, White House officials. Does that mean the entire GOP is rotten?


Admitting you have a problem is the second step. The first step is finding a problem you really enjoy.

FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:28 pm

Turkeytop wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:01 pm
FET-500 wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:27 am


Besides... the UAW people are going to prison.
Just like Trump campaign workers and former Trump, White House officials. Does that mean the entire GOP is rotten?
That's not a game your side should want to play. I believe the ratio in Michigan right now for incarcerated politicians is 7:1 Democrat to Republican.

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Michigan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, July 13, 2018

Wife of Former UAW Vice President Sentenced to Prison for Criminal Tax Fraud
The wife of former UAW Vice President General Holiefield was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release and a fine of $25,000 today based on her conviction for felony tax fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider.

https://search.justice.gov/search?query ... e-usao-mie



User avatar
Turkeytop
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Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:27 pm

Re: Retro Technology

Post by Turkeytop » Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:35 pm

So how do you conclude that I'm on one of two sides in your politics. I don't have any skin in the game.

Looking at it from the outside, I see very little difference between your Democrats and your Republicans. They both share the same pro-capitalist, anti-working class ideology. The only real difference is that the Republicans are open and forthright about their disdain for the working class. The Democrats pretend to be an ally.

My implication in my previous post was that just because many of Trump's associates are corrupt, it isn't a reflection of the entire Republican party.


Admitting you have a problem is the second step. The first step is finding a problem you really enjoy.

FET-500
Posts: 464
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:22 am

Re: Retro Technology

Post by FET-500 » Thu Aug 01, 2019 7:22 am

Turkeytop wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:35 pm
So how do you conclude that I'm on one of two sides in your politics. I don't have any skin in the game.

Looking at it from the outside, I see very little difference between your Democrats and your Republicans. They both share the same pro-capitalist, anti-working class ideology. The only real difference is that the Republicans are open and forthright about their disdain for the working class. The Democrats pretend to be an ally.

My implication in my previous post was that just because many of Trump's associates are corrupt, it isn't a reflection of the entire Republican party.
That you are a statist is evident.



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