- 3 years ago
These products are long gone. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most notable merchandise you can’t find on store shelves anymore.
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00:00 "No, actually, to be totally honest with you, you don't want to buy any VCR. It's a dead technology."
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 products that don't exist anymore.
00:10 "They're the guardians of obsolete formats. Betamax, 8-track, floppy disk, reel-to-reel."
00:16 For this list, we'll be looking at the most notable merchandise you can't find on store shelves anymore.
00:21 Which of these do you miss the most? Let us know in the comments below.
00:26 Hey, Mojoholics. For a chance to win cash prizes, play our live daily trivia challenges every day at 3pm and 8pm Eastern, only at watchmojo.com/play.
00:37 With the press of a button, pagers revolutionized telecommunication back in the 1950s.
00:45 They were convenient, they were practical, and best of all, they were the hip new thing.
00:49 "An inexpensive way to keep in touch for important calls and messages while you're away from home or office."
00:54 But over the years, a ton of worthy competition entered the fray.
00:58 By the turn of the 21st century, smartphones could do almost everything a pager could, but better.
01:03 "So, we're gonna reinvent the phone."
01:06 They hung on for a few more years due to their increased reliability, but eventually, pagers just couldn't keep up with the feature-rich cell phones.
01:13 By 2021, most paging service providers had shuttered for good, leaving this communicator an obsolete relic of the past.
01:20 "Can I ask you a question? Do you know if the hotel's pager-friendly?"
01:23 "What do you mean?" "I'm not getting a cig on my beeper."
01:25 It's hard to go wrong with a good, old-fashioned granola bar, but the real kicker is that Kudos bars were all a part of a sugary, well-balanced breakfast.
01:35 While they definitely had more flavor than nutrition, that didn't stop them from becoming a staple breakfast treat in the 80s and 90s.
01:50 Still, over time, their name recognition started to dwindle, then in 2017, a comment on the company's Facebook page confirmed that Kudos bars were officially discontinued.
01:59 Given the unceremonious nature of its goodbye, we aren't crossing our fingers for a relaunch anytime soon.
02:05 But you gotta give it Kudos for one thing, that theme song never gets old.
02:09 Since their mascot is an actual peanut, it's safe to say Planters pretty much corners the market on all things nuts.
02:20 As if to prove it, they entered the 90s by introducing a whole new way to enjoy their product.
02:24 Enter PB Crisps, the so-called "peanut butter with a crunch."
02:28 "By the center so sweet, peanut butter cream, oh a treat!"
02:32 The cream-filled cookies were a massive hit, at least for the people who tried them.
02:36 The crisp disappeared after just three years on shelves, with no official explanation as to why.
02:41 That hasn't stopped people from talking about them, though.
02:43 "PB Crisps and new chocolate, yes, chocolate crisps from Planters!"
02:47 To this day, fans are still clamoring for a return of PB Crisps.
02:51 There's even a website for it and everything.
02:53 This kind of tech is an increasingly dying breed.
02:59 At the very least, the fax machine can be proud of its near-century-long reign as the de facto office communicator.
03:05 "With Sharp's choice of fax machines, you can send documents in as little as 12 seconds to any place in the world you can phone."
03:11 But there's a lot of alternatives to compete with these days, primarily email and the internet.
03:16 Both of which are much less cumbersome than a modern-day telecopier.
03:19 Looking at all of that, it's clear that the fall of the fax machine is more of a matter of when, not if.
03:24 Sure, it still has its uses in certain fields, but compared to what else is on the market, fax machines feel like they're on their last print.
03:31 "Have these guys ever heard of a damn fax machine?"
03:33 Even by today's standards, having the latest and greatest fashion trends sent right to your door is a pretty compelling offer.
03:42 In the 90s, it was practically a must-have.
03:44 Delia's catalog presented itself as more of a magazine than of a store.
03:48 And that novel approach gave it a chokehold on the decade's fashion sense.
03:52 "Because there was little to no competition in the teen market, Delia's was able to thrive."
03:57 But since the novelty of catalog orders wore off, the brand was left without anything to stand on.
04:02 Later, when online shopping officially took over, Delia's once-famous catalog quietly went out of print.
04:07 The company's product is still around today, just without the paper version or the brand recognition.
04:12 With crop tops, corsets, lingerie-inspired pieces, and micro-mini skirts, the Delia's today is a far cry from the tween-friendly brand it started as.
04:21 For as cool as a personal digital assistant sounds, there's just no need for one anymore.
04:28 "Doris, the personal digital assistant from Sharp."
04:31 Everything that made it unique in the 80s is now commonplace in basically any smart device on the market.
04:36 Internet access, messaging, reminders, smartphones and computers do all of that, and so much more.
04:42 The steady decline of PDA sales reflects as much.
04:44 Just ask Apple. Their entire company almost went under after banking hard on the Apple Newton.
04:49 "Hey, Dolph, take a memo on your Newton. Beat up Martin."
04:53 "Bah!"
04:58 It also served as a cautionary tale for their competitors, most of whom have since abandoned their PDA lines.
05:04 Fortunately, the tech went to good use, and several of those companies began manufacturing cell phones instead.
05:11 #14 Netscape Navigator
05:14 This wasn't just a web browser. This was THE web browser.
05:18 It seemed as if nothing could stop the driving force on the web browser marketplace that was Netscape.
05:24 Netscape Navigator's intuitive user interface helped popularize internet use, and the company was rewarded for that with incredible word of mouth.
05:32 But every industry needs some healthy competition, and soon enough, Microsoft entered the ring with Internet Explorer.
05:39 Accompanied by PC bundles and an unprecedented marketing blitz, the new browser utterly destroyed Netscape's rule.
05:45 In fact, Microsoft's launch was so aggressive, the US Court of Law officially called it an illegal monopoly.
05:51 But by then, the damage was already done. Netscape Navigator never earned back its audience, and officially went off the grid in 2008.
05:59 "Did you know you were still using Netscape Navigator?"
06:02 #13 Orbitz
06:04 On paper, this infamous drink doesn't sound too bad. It was non-carbonated, relatively healthy, and even had several different fruit flavors.
06:12 "Well, first off, we have vanilla orange."
06:16 However, the real issue had nothing to do with the drink's taste. It was that Orbitz wasn't fully liquid.
06:22 See, the entire pitch is that Orbitz are small, gelatinous orbs that dissolve in your mouth.
06:26 "Everybody was picking it up, checking it out."
06:29 As you can imagine, people didn't like having to eat their drink. Orbitz were reviewed poorly and sold even worse.
06:35 To put it into perspective, they only lasted a single measly year into production before going AWOL.
06:41 These days, the only place to find an Orbitz is from a collector.
06:44 "I really do wish Orbitz would come back, but knowing full well the capabilities of Clearly Canadian at the moment, it's not gonna happen."
06:56 #12 Floppy Discs
06:58 In 1996, there were an estimated 5 billion of these flimsy discs in use, and that's just counting the standard version.
07:05 "Come on, guys! I thought you knew better. Don't copy that, floppy!"
07:10 And yet, by 2007, floppy disks were already collecting dust.
07:14 The culprit behind their sharp decline in sales is primarily USB drives. Oh, and memory cards.
07:19 Then cloud storage.
07:21 Floppy disks simply weren't made to keep up with the rapid influx in memory technology.
07:25 If anything, they took up more space than they saved.
07:28 "The manufacturing of the diskettes is over, and so all of the diskettes that will be made have been made."
07:33 Their legacy isn't all doom and gloom, though.
07:36 In order to make the transition easier on consumers, several computing companies used the floppy disk image as their save icon.
07:42 So, really, it's like they're still with us.
07:44 "Everything was much easier when it was just floppy disks."
07:46 #11 3G Phones
07:49 The third generation of smartphones had a lot of winners.
07:52 The iPhone 5, the Galaxy S9, and the Google Pixel 2, just to name a few.
07:56 But, as with any growing industry, there will always be a day where one era powers off so another can click on.
08:02 It's not like 3G devices got cancelled or anything.
08:05 It's just that their framework needed to be upgraded to match the newest standards.
08:08 After all, why bother keeping 3G around when 4G is technologically superior?
08:13 Not to mention 5G.
08:15 As a result of the industry's innovation, most third generation phones will lose support by the end of 2024.
08:21 And that's if they haven't already.
08:23 #10 Answering Machines
08:25 It's not really fair to say that answering machines don't exist anymore.
08:28 Rather, they just don't sell as well as they used to.
08:31 Or, really, at all.
08:32 #I'm gonna change my answering machine now that I'm alone.
08:37 It's tragic because their cousin, the voicemail, is still a very prevalent part of cellular communication.
08:42 But the silver bullet of answering machines is that they're specifically tied to a person's home landline.
08:47 Since those are quickly becoming extinct, the answering machine is going down with them.
08:51 #Believe it or not, George isn't at home. Please leave a message at the beep.
08:57 Technically, you can still call any of them up and get the same voicemail-like message.
09:01 But unless there's a major change in the market, answering machines are not long for the tech world.
09:06 #Believe it or not, I'm not home.
09:10 #9 Kodak Cameras
09:13 This Kodak moment ended in a camera flash.
09:15 Even though they were the ones to develop the first self-contained digital camera,
09:19 the company's higher-ups were extremely hesitant to shift their brand away from film roles.
09:23 #The most accurate, realistic color in print film is here.
09:27 That proved to be a fatal error, and by the time Kodak started playing catch-up,
09:30 the digital market had already left them in the dust.
09:33 Following a decade of rocky finances, the company officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012.
09:39 #This once great company files for bankruptcy, and now they're trying to build with whatever you can.
09:43 Thankfully, there's a happy ending for Kodak.
09:45 The brand emerged from their financial woes with a new focus on printing,
09:49 supplying film, and later, pharmaceuticals.
09:51 But the same can't be said for their camera production.
09:54 #8 Walkman
09:56 Way back when, Sony built a product based on the idea of cassettes on the go,
10:01 and the industry hasn't been the same since.
10:03 Sony introduces the only cassette player as small as a cassette case.
10:08 The Walkman proved to be so absurdly popular, it became ubiquitous with the very concept of portable music.
10:14 #You just leave it all up to me.
10:18 Including Sony's own Discman line,
10:20 it's to the point that the word "revolutionary" doesn't feel like it does the Walkman justice.
10:25 While it was inevitably overtaken by the rise of smartphones,
10:28 this portable player still lives on as an iconic piece of 20th century pop culture.
10:32 #Sony introduces the only cassette player as small as a cassette case.
10:38 #The incredible-sounding Super Walkman.
10:41 Sure, it ended production in 2010, but with over 200 million units made,
10:46 odds are the Walkman's legacy won't be forgotten anytime soon.
10:49 #7 Tab
10:51 Surprisingly enough, the Coca-Cola company's first ever diet drink wasn't actually Diet Coke.
10:56 It was Tab, a sugarless soda marketed to those who wanted to "keep Tabs on their weight".
11:02 As one of the first beverages to tap into the diet market, Tab was an instant success.
11:10 But it came under friendly fire when the Coca-Cola company introduced Diet Coke in 1982.
11:14 Just like that, Tab lost its only claim to fame.
11:17 However, its passionate audience was enough to keep it around for almost another 40 years.
11:22 But despite their efforts, the drink shipped its last case in 2020.
11:26 Coke hasn't kept Tabs on it since.
11:28 #6 Phone Booths
11:33 If you're looking on the side of busy roads, you're more likely to find a Wi-Fi hotspot than a phone booth.
11:38 Quite frankly, the change has been a long time coming.
11:42 Ever since smartphones became the communication standard, pay phones have been left in a dire place.
11:46 As you can imagine, it's even worse for phone booths.
11:49 Almost every single one in the United States has been torn up or converted.
11:53 And that's getting off lucky compared to some other countries.
11:55 In Belgium, Denmark, Norway and more, you couldn't find a working phone booth even if you wanted to.
12:03 At this rate, it'll only be a few years before phone booths stop ringing worldwide.
12:08 In New York? Bathrooms!
12:10 #5 Pontiacs
12:12 General Motors revved up a lot of cars in the 20th century.
12:15 So much so, that they could afford to sell their Pontiac brands as less of a vehicle and more of a lifestyle.
12:20 In the late 50s specifically, this type of car was a status symbol.
12:28 But as the years went on, it became a symbol that people cared less and less about.
12:32 Pontiac had restructured before to great success.
12:35 And they might have been able to do it again if not for the economic crash of 2008.
12:39 Up against intense financial pressure, GM gave Pontiac one last lap before retiring it for good in 2010.
12:45 Before Android and iOS dominated the cell phone space, there was a third contender in the ring.
12:54 For much of the mid to late 2000s, Research & Motion's BlackBerry was the most popular smartphone brand in the US.
13:00 And it wasn't close.
13:02 Well, actually, there was four. But Sony's Ericsson phones failed to put up much of a fight.
13:06 BlackBerry, on the other hand, was a worthwhile rival during the 2000s.
13:10 Their name recognition was second to none, and they had the slick product to back it up.
13:17 At least at first.
13:19 Unfortunately, they couldn't evolve fast enough to match the ever-changing landscape.
13:28 As Android and iOS flourished into the 2010s, BlackBerry lost almost three-quarters of its sales numbers.
13:34 Their last product came out in 2018, and no one's heard anything from them since.
13:38 They didn't call it "appointment television" for nothing.
13:47 For decades, if you wanted to watch something on TV, you had to be in the right place, at the right time, on the right channel.
13:55 Then, out of nowhere, came the VCR.
13:58 Suddenly, all it took was a handy VHS tape, and you could record anything on TV for future viewing.
14:03 It completely changed the game, and immediately, everybody wanted in on the profit.
14:15 In came DVDs, which were easier, cheaper, and more reliable than VHS tapes.
14:20 When that sank, the need for videocassette players went with it.
14:23 The very last VCR manufacturer ceased production in 2016.
14:27 "Have you ever heard of a VCR?"
14:29 "No, I haven't."
14:30 The music business is a tough place to stay relevant in.
14:34 Case in point, Microsoft's epic failure in the Zune.
14:38 "Don't tell me this is Zune, Dad."
14:39 But, for every one of those, there was the iPod, a music player that just did everything right.
14:44 "Everyone wants the iPod. It's a huge hit. It is almost a Christmas miracle."
14:49 And yet, even that couldn't stay afloat forever.
14:51 The story's the same all around. They all failed to stay relevant.
14:55 Just as soon as MP3 players reached their stride, smartphones had developed enough to do the exact same thing.
15:00 The iPhone eclipsing the iPod is a good metaphor for what happened to just about every MP3 player on the market.
15:06 Nobody needed them anymore, and that's that.
15:09 "Dudes, got my old iPod. We can rock out."
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15:26 Number 1 - Internet Explorer
15:30 From Netscape Navigator's ashes, Microsoft grew a web browser with a legacy that speaks for itself.
15:36 "Internet Explorer was a fixture on nearly all Windows PCs from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s."
15:43 At its peak, Internet Explorer had an absolute gargantuan 95% market share.
15:48 If that doesn't speak to its status, nothing will.
15:51 "Unfortunately for Microsoft, the browser war didn't end there."
15:54 You see, Microsoft tried to set its early versions of IE apart from its competitors
15:59 by focusing on adding new features rather than simply trying to make the browser as fast as possible.
16:06 "Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari all entered the fray in the coming years,
16:10 each taking a noticeable chunk out of Internet Explorer's user base."
16:14 So with that, IE's market share dropped precipitously.
16:18 And yet, Microsoft still didn't seem to be seriously trying to address the problem.
16:23 "Eventually, the once-mighty browser was forced to cut its losses and relaunch as the new and improved Microsoft Edge.
16:29 Given how quickly it lost support among both users and developers,
16:32 it's clear that Internet Explorer 12 isn't coming anytime soon."
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16:44 [MUSIC]
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