1990s office gadgets are now OBSOLETE – so, how many do you remember?,
Whether it’s a treadmill desk or a laser mouse, most modern offices are filled with futuristic gadgets.
But rewind the clock just 30 years and workplaces looked very different.
From fax machines to floppy disks, many once-vital technologies have been consigned to the annals of work-life history, according to a survey by Samsung.
The tech giant surveyed 2,000 Britons about their most-used office gadgets – and those that are now outdated.
The results revealed that the floppy disk is the most obsolete office staple – despite still being the ‘save’ icon on most computers.
‘Thanks to cutting–edge technology, the modern office looks nothing like it did 25 years ago,’ said Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience VP of Product and Marketing at Samsung UK & Ireland.
‘Today’s professionals don’t work in one place or on one schedule, and their tech shouldn’t be confined to any restraints either.’
So, how many of these retro office gadgets do you remember?
1. Floppy disks
The survey found that 63 per cent of Britons now think the floppy disk is obsolete.
A floppy disk is a flexible circle of plastic – the ‘floppy’ part – that’s coated with a magnetic material and enclosed in a hard square plastic case.
Data is arranged on the surface of the magnetic disk in ‘concentric’ tracks, much like the ring-like grooves on a vinyl record.
When inserted into a computer’s floppy disk drive, a metal slide door is opened to expose the inner magnetic circle to read the data.
Once the preferred format for storing files and transferring them between computers, floppy disks were eventually made obsolete by USBs and flash drives.
2. Fax machine
Next on the list is the fax machine, which 62 per cent said was obsolete.
The fax machine – formally known as a facsimile machine – was once a regular feature in offices and even homes, right up to the 2000s.
Fax machines work by allowing users to send an exact copy (a ‘facsimile’) of a page of text or images to the recipient, using a telephone line to do so.
They were popular for big-money transactions with tight deadlines, such as house sales or football transfers, as they enabled contracts to be exchanged quickly.
But the rise of digital messaging through phones and laptops made the fax machine less useful to business and individuals, so its impressive run may finally be coming to an end.
3. Rolodexes
Almost one in four respondents to Samsung’s survey said the Rolodex is now obsolete.
The Rolodex was invented in 1956, and featured a rotating card file system to store contacts.
The name is a portmanteau of the words ‘rolling’ and ‘index’.
The device was hugely popular through the 1990s, but became lsess widespread in the 2000s, as digital storage became the norm.
4. Correction fluid
One of the most surprising items on the list is correction fluid, often sold under the name Tipp-Ex.
Originally created for typewriters in the 1950s, the brand name comes from the German word ‘Tipp’, meaning ‘type’, and the Latin ‘ex’, meaning ‘no more’.
While the first version was a correction fluid, Tipp-Ex expanded its range in the early 1990s to include correction tape, a correction pen, and a foam applicator.
Many of these products remain popular in schools around the world, but they’re now rarely seen in offices, where hand-written notes are now few and far between.
5. Landline phones
Once a staple in homes and offices across the UK, the landline phone is now considered obsolete by 24 per cent of Brits.
Britain is currently phasing out traditional landlines, with homes and businesses being offered the opportunity to switch to a digital system.
Last year, a survey revealed that just 47 per cent of UK homes have a landline, with more people relying on their smartphones to communicate.
6. Business card holders
The once-vital business card is on its way to extinction, according to Samsung’s survey.
Less than 15 per cent of workers under-34 have ever used a business card – with the rise of working from home and online meetings largely to blame.
More than half of workers who previously used the cards have given them up since the beginning of the pandemic – a consequence of the UK’s post-lockdown work from home boom.
Data, obtained last year from a survey conducted by Ipsos, showed that despite workers moving back towards the office, Britons are less concerned about the old professional custom.
7. Sticky notes as password reminders
It’s a major security risk, so it’s no surprise that most people see writing your password on a sticky note as an obsolete practice.
‘A post–it note with your password is a physical object that can be easily seen and accessed by anyone passing by,’ explained Platform 365 in a blog.
‘This could be a coworker, a visitor, or even a member of cleaning staff.
‘Once your password is exposed, it’s as if you’ve handed over the keys to your digital kingdom. And that could include both workplace and personal data and finances.’
8. Filing cabinets
While many of us still have filing cabinets at home, it seems many Brits think the storage systems are obsolete in offices.
However, filing cabinets have ‘far from vanished’, according to Business Furniture Direct.
‘Many offices, particularly those working with sensitive information or requiring a paper trail for compliance, still rely on physical storage,’ it explained.
‘From law firms and medical practices to creative studios and finance departments, the demand for dedicated spaces like filing cabinets continues.’
9. Physical diaries/planners
With much of our lives now spent online, it seems that physical diaries and planners have become a thing of the past.
10. Hole punch
Finally, the hole punch rounds out the top ten list.
The original patent for the multi-hole punch was filed back in 1886, and the device soon became a staple feature in offices around the world.
However, with most offices now operating online, there’s little need to collect sheets in physical binders or folders.
From pagers to VHS players, which of these other beloved retro devices did you used to own?
FAX MACHINE
The fax machine – formally known as a facsimile machine – was once a regular feature in offices and even homes, right up to the 2000s.
Fax machines work by allowing users to send an exact copy (a ‘facsimile’) of a page of text or images to the recipient, using a telephone line to do so.
They were popular for big-money transactions with tight deadlines, such as house sales or football transfers, as they enabled contracts to be exchanged quickly.
But the rise of digital messaging through phones and laptops made the fax machine less useful to business and individuals, so its impressive run may finally be coming to an end.
PORTABLE CD PLAYER
Although it’s not seeing a revival quite like the trendy vinyl, the company disc (CD) is still widely sold and bought.
But yet, the portable CD player seems to have died out, becoming a rare sighting despite being easily able to fit inside a bag or loose pocket.
The proliferation of smartphones and apps that offer an exhaustive library of songs may be to blame for this.
‘CD players still have their place among older consumers and nostalgics, but the freedom that digital streaming allows means that people can find a song to match their mood,’ said Chris Beer, trends analyst at GWI.
VHS
Surely one of the most beloved products of the 1990s was the VHS, the dominant format for watching films and TV shows before the existence of DVDs, Blu-ray and streaming.
VHS, short for video home system, used magnetic tape just like the audio cassette, although the VHS cassette was much bigger and chunkier.
VHS was developed by Japanese company JVC, and after its consumer introduction in September 1976, VHS sparked a home entertainment revolution.
Although its primary rival was Sony’s Betamax, other companies such as Philips, MCA and RCA also produced tape and disc systems that failed to capture the market.
VHS eventually won the format war – although it eventually lost out to digital discs, which has since been largely superseded by video streaming platforms.
PAGER
It’s difficult to imagine an era where WhatsApp wasn’t the go–to for sending and receiving text and voice messages – but the pager was very much a pioneer in this regard.
Also known as a buzzer or beeper, the wireless telecommunications device beeps or vibrates when receiving transmissions from others.
A screen on the pager shows alphanumeric messages, such as a telephone number for the person carrying the device to call.
One–way pagers only receive messages, while response pagers and two–way pagers also acknowledge and reply to messages using an internal transmitter.
Pagers made appearances in classic films of the 1990s and 2000s such as American Beauty, Cast Away and Bruce Almighty.
