By Jimmy Greenfield The year was 1966, and a phenomenal new gadget was transforming the record business and changing the way peoplelistened to music.
As Time reported in its Aug. 5, 1966, issue, “The record companies theorize that once a motorist accumulates a stack of cartridges for his car, he will want to play them in his living room as well.”
Yes, the nation was entranced by cassettes and 8-track tapes.
Remember them?
Yesterday’s gadgets were once deemed as remarkable and life-altering as today’s, which is why some modern gadgets may one day be relegated to history’s basement.
Don’t think it can happen? It seemed unthinkable 20 years ago that Sony’s Walkman and Polaroid’s instant camera would be nearly obsolete now, yet they’re now quaint reminders of a different era.
Laptops seem like they’re here to stay, and so do iPods, digital cameras and cell phones. TiVo’s not going anywhere, nor is e-mail, Wi-Fi or HDTV. Right?
We’ll have to leave it to future generations of inventors and consumers to decide which gadgets live on. For now, all we can do is decide which gadgets we love at this moment.
For the last two weeks, RedEye’s Web site, redeyechicago.com, has been holding an NCAA Tournament-style gadget bracket to select the one piece of modern technology you just can’t live without.
Despite all the hullabaloo over Google buying YouTube this week, both of those immensely popular Web sites were eliminated in the first round of our Internet voting, as were Netflix, video games, satellite radio, GPS, MySpace and, in what I thought was the biggest shock, BlackBerry.
In addition to voting, we’ve set up a place where you can explain why you voted the way you did. What I’ll do now is give my analysis and picks for the four second-round matchups, along with predictions on whether these gadgets will still be around in 20 years.
TiVo vs. HDTV
Matchup analysis: As someone who owns a TiVo and who has drooled over HDTV at Chicago’s finest electronics superstores, this is a really tough call. I’ll tell you this much: I will never again watch TV without TiVo. Do HDTV users say the same thing? Probably so. But when push comes to shove, I’ll bet more people would dump HDTV before TiVo.
My pick: TiVo
What TiVo will be replaced with in 20 years: MeVo, a device that allows you to record your life in two-hour intervals.
Laptop vs. e-mail
Matchup analysis: If it’s true that 100 million videos a day are being viewed on YouTube, can you imagine how many e-mails are sent every day? I sent 46 in the time it took me to write this sentence. Laptops have grown more useful since the advent of Wi-Fi, but they’re not nearly as ubiquitous as e-mail.
My pick: E-mail
What e-mail will be replaced with in 20 years: H-mail. Hologram messages sent by Silicon Valley startup Princess Leia Enterprises.
iPod vs. Wi-Fi
Matchup analysis: Probably the weakest of the second-round contests. The iPod is terrific, but there have been a long line of terrific listening devices that crapped out when something better came along. Wi-Fi is still pretty new, but as it becomes more powerful, it will transform the way other technology is used.
My pick: Wi-Fi
What Wi-Fi will be replaced with in 20 years: Whatever it is, William Shatner will be the pitchman for it.
Digital cameras vs. cell phone
Matchup analysis: Let’s be honest, nobody really needs a digital camera. They’re wonderful, simple and save you from having to develop pictures of your thumb. Cell phones are also wonderful and simple, but they also can save lives. Slight edge there.
My pick: Cell phone
What the cell phone will be replaced with in 20 years: The medulla oblongata phone. Physical phones become obsolete as all calls are routed through the medulla oblongata portion of your brain, earning the hands-free and aspirin industries millions.
