Every now and then I see a vintage car in the street, originally from the 40s or 60s, in spotless condition. Cars have been around for longer than computers… But would such a thing be viable for electronics?
Wait, does it exist already and I never heard of it?
This… Really feels like a very stupid question. Sorry
ha, i have this problem. its hard to keep perspective.
for cars its 25 years, so were almost to the point where anything <2000 is ‘antique’
i just paid way too much for a refurbed nintendo 64
I also think that would be really cool, keeping the software environment just for curiosity.
Also, I’d lower that threshold for cars some 20 years at least. Most models from the 90s are bum cars, but I hardly see anything from the 70s or older in that state, instead they are very well restored and taken care of.
Sure, people will still be showing off vintage computers just like they are doing now. The biggest problem will likely be finding working hard drives or SSDs that are compatible with the system.
Phones will probably be a lot harder to keep running that long though. Modern flash memory is not very good for long term data retention. OLED displays have a limited shelf life. Batteries are difficult to replace without damaging the phone assuming you can even find a replacement.
phone tech also keeps advancing quite fast so the devices become incompatible when 3G and earlier tech is no longer in service
If you can get the phone to boot decades from now, the cell network could be simulated with an SDR. It has to be done in a faraday cage to avoid causing interference though.
I used to collect vintage Macs. Until I had to move recently. I had a whole whole bunch bunch of them, and they all still worked.
For the most part, I’m genuinely sad to say, the answer is going to be “no,” for a couple of reasons. For the most part, consumer grade items are pretty much crap. They’re functionally focused, as opposed to aesthetically focused. Yes, an old Apple computer signed by Woz will always be worth a lot of money, but for the most part they’re mass produced commercial items. No one is going to care for a first edition Apple Watch ten years from now.
Compare that to an Italian designer chair that sold for $700 in 1969 and now goes for $45000 in mint condition. Things like furniture (and to some extent cars) can increase in value because they’re aesthetically as well as functionally designed. No one, 50 years from now, is going to be impressed with an iPhone 8.
Fair enough, so only as museum displays and perhaps some weird collector but not appealing to most people
I’m not sure, because cars were more widely seen as a status symbol in the US (because they were marketed that way). I would bet that a much smaller percentage of people in the US see their phones as a status symbol. Other countries may be different. Remember all the premium phone brands like Vertu? Or the gold Apple Watch?
This is absolutely a thing. There are communities focused around a number of vintage computers (Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Sinclair Spectrum, Atari 400 & 800, Apple II, MS-DOS Machines, early Windows, First generation iMacs, the list goes on) and pretty much all game consoles.
Would love to have the case from one of my first PC’s and build a modern system in it. That late 80’s early 90’s computer aesthetic was something special.
There are already people that collect and show off vintage computers. For example LGR: https://youtu.be/nLy_jEbuY-U
I was gonna link him too. LGR is great.
Have you seen http://youtube.com/c/the8bitguy
You can already look at iPhones in the telecommunication section of some museums.
no, why would anyone save a 40 year old computer and keep it in working condition in their office…
Depends I guess. I still have a ZX81, Atary TT, STfm, STe and Falcon. The original PC will probably be spared, as will Commodore C64, 128, Amiga,… Current PC hardware probably not.
Old cars can still be repaired and used for their original function. Also, their looks are still pleasing to some. Cars from before they added computers to them are also a lot easier to repair and for those enthousiasts a hobby to have fun with.
With electronics (all, not just computers) it’s usually replaced when broken instead of repaired, so I guess most will be lost.
my yaris is 20 years old, and it shows no signs of wear. that thing will last another 30-40 years if i wanted to keep it for that long.
also, i think fairphones seriously have a chance of surviving for that long, since the battery is easily replaceable. it being made during the phone spec plateau also helps.
It does indeed exist. There are communities based around various types of vintage computing and game consoles
