Yahoo has an article in finance listing 10 items that are pointless to buy in 2010. There are several items on the list that I will definitely still purchase in 2010 despite Yahoo’s flawed logic. The first being DVDs. The article states:
On average, DVDs sell for at least $20 each. That’s pricier than signing up for Netflix or renting movies from cable providers’ on-demand channels.
I’ve never paid $20 or more for a DVD. Maybe if you are an idiot and go to a specialty shop to buy the DVD the week it comes out, you will end up paying this much for a DVD. I rarely pay more than $10 for DVDs because I don’t mind waiting for them to drop in price after their initial release. It’s similar for TV shows on DVD. I’ve never even paid $20 for a season of a TV show on DVD. While I do expect there to be a further decline in DVD purchase because of Blu-ray, Netflix, and Redbox, I see no reason not to buy a DVD if it’s something you will enjoy over and over again.
External hard drives are another item listed, stating that online backup services are the way to go. First, never put all your eggs in one basket. You should have more than one backup, and never rely on someone else to do it for you. Secondly, the article even contradicts itself by stating these online backup services are more expensive than external hard drives. These online services have their benefits, but if you just need a backup of documents and pictures get a couple cheap external hard drives, or even better internal hard drives and an external enclosure.
Next up is compact digital cameras. It seems that in 2010 smaller is not better. Yahoo would have you believe that compact digital cameras are going the way of the pager because of bigger and better DSLR cameras. The problem is that DSLR cameras are much more expensive, and much much larger. While I would love to have a DSLR because I enjoy photography, no one is going to want to bring a these to the club, restaurant, party, etc. to take casual pictures with friends and family.
Update: Gareth makes a great point in the comments, while DSLR cameras probably won’t replace compact point and shoot models, cell phone cameras are getting better with each generation. I expect them to be a much more likely replacement as it is a device almost everyone has on them at all times anyway.
Last up is CDs. This is the toughest one for me to argue for continuing buying, and is more of a personal preference. I still haven’t paid for a digital download of any audio, but have purchased a few CDs as recently as a week ago. Just like DVDs, CDs can be found rather cheap if you don’t mind looking around. I like the fact that I have a physical good for my money, for the same or even a lower price than its digital counterpart. It’s easy for me to grab one disc and bring it wherever if that’s all I want, but I will most likely rip it to my computer and put it on my mp3 player as well.
The average person will most likely be purchasing these items well through this year. While some are adopting newer and better technologies, not everyone needs to, or has the money to as newer technologies are often more expensive.
While the article was mostly fluff, the DSLR recommendation was strange – they’re great if you have an interest in photography, but if you just want to take pictures they’re overkill.
Still, I can see compact digital cameras going away as the lower end of the market is well covered by cell phone cameras.
hey seth, i’m checking out your blog. it’s cool!! wanted to give my 2 cents about DVDs and CDs. in my personal case, i have completely quit buying DVDs and CDs. The few DVDs I ever bought (movies) I watched maybe a handful of times. other than that, they’ve only been collecting dust. As far as CDs, bought my last CD about a year and a half ago and haven’t looked back. Yes, I have purchased some songs on itunes but they aren’t that many. My new thing for music is getting free podcasts. Most my favorite artists post a new podcast every month or so and it’s great.