The HipZip was a $300 MP3 player, but not just any kind of MP3 player. Instead of using an internal flash drive, it ran on proprietary magnetic discs called PocketZips. Sadly, this revolutionary new format was discontinued shortly after its release in 1999 (it tended to break), and so the HipZip died with the PocketZip. RIP.
As George Harrison reminds us, “all things must pass.” It’s just that gadgets tend to pass more quickly than most things. Here’s a list of nine other pieces of cutting-edge personal electronics that made Time Magazine’s Christmas Gift Guide twenty years ago:
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Creative Nomad Jukebox MP3 Player
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Samsung DVD Player
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Nikon Twisty CoolPix Electronic Camera
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Gateway Laptop with 12.1” Display
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Motorola Two-Way Pager
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LG Touchpoint “Smart” Phone
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Cybiko Wireless Messenger with MP3 Attachment
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Playstation 2
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Handspring Visor Prism Personal Digital Assistant
Remember PDAs? Remember pagers? Reminiscing about obsolete gadgets is always good for a laugh, but it can also be a pretty humbling experience as well. After all, the stuff we’re using right now is bound to look just as silly in twenty years, right? Maybe. But maybe not.
In fact, if you were to take a look at today’s most popular personal electronics, you’d actually see a lot of the same brand names on the 2000 list, as well as others like Nintendo, Android, Google, Apple, Ring, Peloton, Nest, Roku, Acer, Xbox, and Sonos. But in terms of functionality, what would be the main difference between the 2000 and the 2020 list?