Six classic gadgets that have gone to the grave

By Tasneem Balapurwala

It was a sad day for music hoarders across the world as Apple silently put down the iconic iPod classic.

The click wheel was the first step in Apple's domination of the music revolution and as we get ready to say goodbye to the once-cherished crown of Apple's product kingdom, we take a look at six other classics that have been sent walking into the sunset.

Atari to Nintendo Video games



Remember these? Beginning with bricks in the form of Tetris to Pacman and later the very beloved Contra and Mario, video games have long held a beloved spot in our cultural psyche. While Xbox and Playstation ultimately led to their demise, the universality of these gadgets remains unmatched. Wait, now we want them back. Pass the tissues, please.

VCR players



Our grandparents may have been the last generation to actually use them like they were the Blu-Ray equivalent of our era, but one cannot underestimate the power they wielded in their heyday. Many a marriage dissolved in fights over who recorded over the wedding video and its silence is an eerie reminder of our excessive digital dependence.

Sony Walkman



Just like a parent holding onto a kid long moved out, Sony has clung to the name Walkman for a range of series that it has produced since. However, the original 'Walkman' as we know it retired from the spotlight when first the discman and then the iPod took over the mantle.

Pagers



Another communication gadgetry that was widely worshipped by the so-called tech-savvys in the 90s. Every time it beeped, one ran round like a headless chicken trying to get to a phone because it just must be so urgent. However, cellphones again rendered them redundant and they were relegated to humdrum chores in places like hospitals. Au revoir is all we will say.

Audio cassettes



When the Walkman bid adieu, it also heralded the death knell for the magnetic cassettes. Music industry is one of the most dynamic and so has the most casualties as people upgrade to the next best thing — this case, the Discman with CDs [now obsolete too] — and later, the soon-to-be-gone iPod. Ah, well.

Digital Diaries



These were the cat 's whiskers when Casio int roduced them to the world in the early 90s. Everyone flashed one and whipped them out to get your 'digits', especially if you were in the business world . However, just like that, cellphones edged their way in and sent the diaries packing.