The humble DVD player, the fax machine, the analogue TV, the landline phone and the mobile charger have all been put on the 2010 most endangered technologies list by online retailer Pixmania.
Pixmania, the largest electronics retailer in Europe, has put the DVD player at the top of the list because of the continuing fall in price of the Blu-ray player technology as well as the growth in movie streaming via consoles like the Xbox 360.
The retailer also says that fax machines are set to disappear from offices because of the growth in popularity of touchscreen smart phones, Twitter and other digital technologies that keep us constantly communicating.
Sat-nav devices that adorn dashboards are also on the endangered list due to the rise of smart phones like the iPhone and phones that use the Google Android operating system. Two weeks ago, shares in TomTom and Garmin bombed when Google unveiled a free sat-nav tool for Android 2.0 mobile phones.
Even cutting-edge game console the Nintendo Wii’s handheld wand, the Wii-mote, is on the endangered list as it is likely to be stomped on by the Microsoft Xbox 360-based Natal motion sensor technology.
The Top 10 most endangered technologies of 2010, according to Pixmania, are:
1. DVD players
2. The fax machine
3. Analogue TV
4. The landline phone
5. The mobile phone charger
6. The Wii-mote
7. Sat-nav devices
8. Dongle
9. Computer mouse
10. Chip and PIN credit cards
By John Kennedy
Photo: The Nintendo Wii-mote.
