A Brief History
On June 7, 1975, Sony unleashed a new level of home entertainment on the world when they marketed their Betamax format of videocassette recorders and players. Despite being a superior system, Betamax was quickly eclipsed by the VHS format.
Digging Deeper
Despite having a pretty good run, videocassette technology is now obsolete, replaced by DVDs and various digital systems and streaming services. Technology that seems innovative and remarkable has a way of fading into the sunset, such as the laserdisc movies that became available in the late 1970s and also faded away.
When musical CDs became available in 1982, the vinyl record was basically through, and now those CDs are considered obsolete. Do you remember 8 track tapes and cassette tapes?
Music and entertainment technology becomes obsolete and so do other seemingly permanent parts of life, such as the incandescent lightbulb and perhaps someday the internal combustion engine. What technology will disappear next?
Note: Launch dates of Betamax vary with location and source.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What bygone technology do you miss the most?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Basalla, George. The Evolution of Technology. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Sylvie and Glazer Erik Michael and Anapol. Do You Remember Pong, 8-Track and Betamax. Barnes and Noble Books, 2005.
