From floppy disks to pagers: 6 outdated technologies that are still in use

If you’re reluctant to part with a pager or still send faxes you can rest assured that far from being obsolete, ageing technology is alive and well in some places – and even being used by US government departments to run vital operations.

A new report from the US Government Accountability Office has revealed that one computer system for coordinating the nation’s nuclear forces still uses floppy disks. Other agencies reported using IT systems that are at least 50 years old.

The US government is spending $61 billion a year on operating and maintaining outdated systems – three times more than investment in modern technologies would cost, the report found.

The Pentagon has said it will phase out floppy disks by the end of 2017, and will fully modernize its computer system by 2020.

"This system remains in use because, in short, it still works," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Valerie Henderson told AFP.

The fact that it still works might help explain why some of us cling to technology that has long outlived its sell-by date.

“It can take a surprisingly long time for technologies to really fall by the wayside,” Steve Koenig, head of Industry Analysis at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), tells LAPTOP magazine.

A CEA study shows that only 13% to 15% of consumers are early adopters, while more than 60% choose to wait a long time before upgrading to newer and better technologies.

With this in mind, here’s a selection of last-century tech that refuses to die:

Floppy disks

They might seem like a computing relic, but the US Defense Department is still using floppy disks as a storage solution in IBM Series/1 systems, which date back to the 1970s.

Dial-up internet

According to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 4% of American adults – more than 10 million people – still use a modem to connect to the internet.

Pagers

While mobile phones have become an indispensable part of modern life, there’s still a market for pagers. In 2012, Americans bought approximately $7 million worth of new pagers, some 10,000 units, the CEA says.

Pay phones

In 2012, the US had 305,000 working pay phones, with 50 million calls placed, according to data from the American Public Communications Council.

Cassettes and VHS tapes

Around 13 million blank cassettes and VHS tapes were sold in the US in 2012, the CEA says.

Fax machines

Email has hastened its demise, but the fax machine is certainly not dead yet. Americans bought 350,000 units in 2012, down 14% from 2011.

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