15 ’90s Tech Trends That Didn’t Survive
These once-iconic '90s tech trends helped shape the digital age but were outpaced by innovation.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
In the 1990s, technology was in a wild growth spurt, giving rise to gadgets and systems that felt revolutionary at the time. However, as speed, design, and convenience took over in the 2000s, many of those beloved tools faded into obsolescence. Looking back, they remind us just how fast the future can change — and how far we’ve come.
1. Dial-Up Internet
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That screeching handshake sound of a 56k modem used to mean you were going online. However, it also meant no one could use the landline phone until you logged off. Waiting minutes for a single image to load feels ancient now, but in the ’90s, it was normal.
2. Pagers (Beepers)
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Doctors, drug dealers, and cool kids alike clipped pagers to their belts like they were badges of honor. These one-way devices would beep or vibrate, prompting you to find a payphone and return the call. Once cell phones became affordable, pagers lost their appeal overnight.
3. AOL Free Trial CDs
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You couldn’t check your mailbox or walk into a store without tripping over a stack of America Online trial discs. People used them as coasters, decorations, or frisbees. AOL’s infamous “You’ve Got Mail!” greeting became a relic when broadband swept in.
4. MiniDisc Players
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Sony’s MiniDiscs were supposed to be the next big thing after CDs, offering digital sound in a compact format. But they arrived too late and were quickly overshadowed by MP3 players and digital downloads. Their futuristic look couldn’t save them from rapid extinction.
5. Zip Drives
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Before cloud storage and USB sticks, Zip drives offered a whopping 100MB of storage. They were a dream for graphic designers and anyone tired of swapping dozens of floppy disks. However, they were bulky, expensive, and soon became obsolete once better options emerged.
6. CRT Monitors
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Heavy, boxy, and often humming faintly, CRT monitors dominated desktops. Cleaning the glass screen was a ritual, and trying to fit one on a small desk was a game of spatial Tetris. As LCDs got cheaper and sleeker, CRTs were quietly ushered out.
7. Tamagotchis
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Digital pets you had to feed, clean, and play with — or else, they’d “die.” Kids snuck them into classrooms, and parents worried they were a distraction. By the 2000s, the craze had faded, though it left a strangely emotional legacy.
8. Dot Matrix Printers
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You knew you were in an office when you heard the grinding sound of a dot matrix printer at work. These clunky machines used ribbon ink and continuous paper with perforated edges. Laser and inkjet printers eventually made them look like fossils.
9. Desktop Towers Under the Desk
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Back then, a powerful PC meant a hulking metal case under your feet, complete with a noisy fan and plenty of dust. People proudly customized them with extra floppy drives and CD-ROMs. Today’s slim laptops and all-in-ones make the tower feel Jurassic.
10. Clamshell Phones (Before Smartphones)
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Before touchscreens, having a flip phone was the definition of tech cool. There was something satisfying about snapping it shut to end a call. However, once the iPhone arrived, clamshells became a quirky memory.
11. TV/VCR Combos
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It seemed genius at the time — watch and play VHS tapes from one device. Every kid wanted one in their bedroom. But when DVDs and flat screens took over, the built-in VCR started to feel like dead weight.
12. PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
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PalmPilots and Handspring Visors let you carry contacts, calendars, and notes in your pocket. You used a stylus to tap on a tiny green-and-black screen like you were in Star Trek. Smartphones absorbed all their features and left PDAs behind.
13. CD-ROM Encyclopedias
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Buying a stack of shiny CDs filled with Britannica or Encarta felt like arming yourself with the future of knowledge. No more dusty books — just pop in a disc and explore the world. However, Google and Wikipedia have largely eliminated the need for digital tomes.
14. Infrared File Sharing
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Before Bluetooth or AirDrop, we lined up two phones or PDAs, waited awkwardly for them to align, then watched a tiny file crawl across. It felt like magic in the moment, even if the transfer failed half the time. Wireless tech quickly evolved past this tedious ritual.
15. SCSI Ports and Parallel Cables
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SCSI ports were once essential for scanners and high-end printers, and parallel cables were how you hooked up your old-school printer. Thick, clunky, and utterly confusing for casual users, they were tech’s version of a medieval torture device. USB came along and simplified everything, making these dinosaurs extinct.