20 Gadgets From 2003 That VANISHED Overnight (The Year Everything Changed)

20 Gadgets From 2003 That VANISHED Overnight. The year before Facebook. The year smartphones didn't exist. When carrying five devices in your pockets was NORMAL—and each one did its job better than the iPhone ever could.

From 128MB USB flash drives that cost $40 to portable DVD players in minivans, from Palm Pilots to 6-disc CD changers to MapQuest printouts—2003 was the peak of single-purpose technology. Each device was specialized, tangible, and YOURS. Then the smartphone arrived and promised to do everything. It delivered convergence. But convergence meant mediocrity.

We traded 20 devices that excelled at individual tasks for one device that's mediocre at everything. We traded ownership for rental, privacy for surveillance, boundaries for constant availability. A 2024 MIT study found single-purpose devices created 64% higher task completion rates than smartphones. This isn't nostalgia—it's an analysis of what we sacrificed when we chose convenience over excellence.

BeforeWiFi explores life before smartphones and WiFi changed everything—the technology, gadgets, and everyday moments from 1990-2010.

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