Four Popularly Used Products that Will Become Extinct

Have you ever wondered what happened to beepers, disposable cameras and VCRs?  These items were simply outpaced by innovation. It’s interesting to reminisce of the popular products of old that have now been relegated to the annals of history like the beeper, Polaroid, fanny pack and even the pet rock. While it’s difficult to label products “extinct” because there may be a few items still remaining, it’s safe to say you won’t see anyone walking around with any of the above listed products on a regular basis.  By analyzing trends, I’ve compiled a list of popular products which will soon join this list of extinct items along with a brief explanation as to how and why this will come about.    

1.    Plastic Grocery Bags: Protecting the environment and the limited resources on Earth has become a number one endeavor, not just with environmentalists, but the common person as well. That’s why plastic grocery bags which are typically disposed of after use will soon be replaced by reusable tote bags. Grocery stores have successfully incorporated tote bags into their bagging system, though they have not completely separated from their dependence on plastic bags. Despite this transition period, environmentally unfriendly plastic grocery bags will soon be a thing of the past as stated in this article. 
 
2.    Mouse Pads – Mouse pads are incredibly popular in the modern computer age and have existed nearly as long of computers. However, these simple items that are designed to help navigate a computer interface are slowly waning in popularity as mouse technology advances. Mouse are now designed with laser sensors which don’t require the same traction as traditional mouse which had a ball design. While the mouse pad may survive the next couple years of innovation, it will likely see the same fate as other outdated computer accessories.  

3.    Plastic Water Bottles – Like plastic grocery bags, plastic water bottles have created quite a stir in environmentalist circles. The huge amount of waste created by plastic bottles in landfills along with their petroleum-based material has made them a popular target for the ire of environmental conservationist. That’s why a recent trend toward reusable water bottles seems like it will spell an end to disposable plastic water bottles current popularity.

4.    Hand-held Calculators – Calculators are similar to GPS devices and other pieces of technology that are being pushed out by the advancements in cell phone technology. Calculators have existed on cell phones for many years, but it hasn’t been till recently that they are more advanced and easier to use. With larger displays and more developed calculating software, cell phones will likely be the undoing of the hand-held calculator.