1. Gateway 2000 Desktop Computers
Back in 1999, if your family had a Gateway computer—complete with the iconic cow-spotted box—you were ahead of the curve, according to Ernie Smith of VICE. Gateway was synonymous with middle-class tech prestige, offering affordable desktops that felt futuristic at the time. The ad campaigns were everywhere, and the promise of internet access made them a must-have. Owning one signaled that your household was riding the wave of the digital revolution.
Fast forward to today, and these chunky beige towers are collecting dust in garages or have already made their way to e-waste dumps. They’re completely outclassed by smartphones and sleek laptops that can do a thousand times more. What once was a tech flex is now a recycling challenge. Most of them don’t even boot up anymore, if you still have the monitor’s weird power cord.
2. Palm Pilots
The Palm Pilot was the device for anyone trying to look like a serious professional or tech-savvy go-getter, according to Conor Grant of The Hustle. It had that little stylus, monochrome screen, and you could tap out appointments and contacts like a boss. If someone pulled one out in public, you assumed they were very important. It was a digital planner before smartphones took over.
Now, they’re a punchline—quirky relics of a pre-iPhone era. Palm eventually fizzled out, and the devices aren’t even remotely compatible with modern systems. You might still find a few in thrift store tech bins, totally unusable. The data people once guarded so closely is now trapped in obsolete formats.
3. Beepers and Pagers
If you had a pager in ’99, you were either a doctor, a teenager pushing boundaries, or someone who wanted to seem essential. Some models had custom ringtones and numeric codes only your friends understood. For kids and young adults, having a pager was almost as good as having a phone. It was part tech, part street cred.
Now, beepers are pure landfill bait. They’re functionally useless in a smartphone world where instant messaging is everywhere. Hospitals still use advanced versions, according to Mary Bellis of ThoughtCo, but the classic models? They’re tucked away in junk drawers or buried in e-waste heaps.
4. Razor Scooters
These shiny, foldable scooters were an absolute phenomenon, Mark Wilson of Fast Company explains. If you rolled up to school on a Razor, you were automatically ten times cooler. They were compact, speedy, and every kid wanted one—even if they destroyed your ankles with one wrong turn. They were so popular that knock-offs flooded the market within a year.
By now, most of those original scooters are rusting in garages or long tossed out. Kids today ride electric scooters or hoverboards, making Razor models look quaint and slow. The original craze burned hot and fast. Nostalgic? Maybe. Practical or popular? Not anymore.
5. Nokia 5110 Phones
Ah yes, the indestructible brick phone. The Nokia 5110 wasn’t just a communication tool—it was a cultural artifact, complete with swappable faceplates and Snake. If you had one, you had a reliable device that somehow survived every drop. It was basic, but that simplicity was part of its charm.
Now, these phones are novelty items, often used as paperweights or memes about durability. They can’t connect to modern networks, and their batteries are long dead. Most were thrown out when the flip phone wave hit just a few years later. It’s weird to think something so iconic is now just plastic clutter.
6. DVD Players
A brand-new DVD player in ’99 was the crown jewel of any home entertainment setup. If your family made the leap from VHS, it meant you were embracing the future. DVDs had crisper video, interactive menus, and didn’t need rewinding. They felt almost too futuristic to touch.
Today, they’re practically impossible to give away. With streaming reigning supreme and laptops ditching disc drives altogether, DVD players have become dead weight. Thrift stores are flooded with them, and many have ended up in landfills. What was once sleek tech is now an obsolete appliance.
7. Abercrombie & Fitch Logo Tees
In 1999, A&F was the brand to be seen in if you were a teen or college kid. Those moose-logo shirts cost a fortune, but they were a ticket to social belonging. Their cologne wafted through malls like a siren song, and their catalogs were almost too edgy for their own good. Wearing Abercrombie meant you were part of the in-crowd.
These days, those same tees are more likely to be used as paint rags than fashion statements. A&F’s popularity nosedived in the 2010s amid backlash and rebranding. While the company’s shifted its image, those 1999-era tees are relics of a different cultural moment. And yes, many of them ended up in donation piles or garbage bags.
8. iMac G3 (Bondi Blue)
Apple’s candy-colored iMacs were impossible to ignore. If you had a Bondi Blue iMac, your house felt like a spaceship—and not just because it was all-in-one. Steve Jobs’ return to Apple started with this bold design choice, and it paid off in spades. Schools and homes alike jumped on the aesthetic bandwagon.
Now, those bubble-backed machines are as functional as a typewriter in a TikTok office. They’re bulky, underpowered, and totally incompatible with modern software. Some artists use them for retro flair, but most have been junked. You might still see one at a hipster coffee shop, but it’s not running.
9. MiniDisc Players
Sony hyped the MiniDisc as the next step beyond CDs. It was smaller, digital, and you could record your own mixes—what’s not to love? In 1999, having a MiniDisc player made you look like a serious audiophile or early adopter. Plus, the discs themselves felt like cool little artifacts.
Too bad they never quite took off, and now they’re techno-fossils. Once the iPod hit the scene, the MiniDisc was doomed. Finding a working one today is a challenge, and the blank discs? Pretty much worthless. It’s an early-2000s detour no one asked for anymore.
10. Tommy Hilfiger Everything
Tommy Hilfiger logos were everywhere in 1999—jeans, jackets, backpacks. The red-white-and-blue branding screamed Americana, and celebrities helped elevate the look into streetwear gold. If you had a big Tommy flag on your clothes, you were styling. It bridged suburban mall fashion with hip-hop cool.
Now, that oversized logo gear feels more dated than retro. While the brand has seen some resurgence, the 1999-era items are mostly gone. They didn’t age well, and most ended up at yard sales or donation bins. Tommy was a moment, but that moment lives in storage units now.
11. Sega Dreamcast
The Dreamcast launched in late 1999, and for a brief window, it was the most advanced gaming console around. It had online capabilities, a quirky controller, and games like Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure. Gamers who had one were seen as pioneers—especially before the PS2 arrived. It had a cult following even during its short life.
Now, it’s a footnote in gaming history. Sega stopped making consoles not long after, and the Dreamcast was swept away by newer, better systems. If you still have one, it probably doesn’t work—or has a fan screaming louder than the gameplay. Most ended up forgotten in closets or dumped entirely.
12. Clear Landline Phones
You know the ones—the phones where you could see all the colorful wires and LED lights inside. If your room had one of these in 1999, you were officially “cool” and probably had glitter gel pens nearby. They were a mix of tech and aesthetic, perfect for teenage bedrooms. It was a vibe.
Now? No one wants them. Landlines in general have died out, and these novelty phones are just plastic trash with wires. They pop up in vintage shops occasionally, but mostly, they were discarded with Y2K worries. Cool once, landfill now.
13. Portable CD Players
Whether it was a Sony Discman or an off-brand knockoff, these were essential for music lovers. If you had one with skip protection, you were the king of bus rides and school hallways. Carrying your Case Logic CD binder alongside it was part of the ritual. Every scratch on the disc taught you a life lesson.
Today, they’re bulky, useless, and totally replaced by streaming. Even MP3 players made them obsolete quickly. You can still find them at garage sales, but they’re more nostalgia bait than usable tech. Most ended up with cracked lids and dead batteries in someone’s trash can.
14. Lava Lamps
Lava lamps had a real moment in the late ‘90s, especially in dorm rooms and teenager bedrooms. They were funky, mesmerizing, and gave off just the right amount of rebellion. Having one meant you were “chill” but also had taste. It was ambiance before we called it that.
But they’re heavy, they break easily, and they serve no real function. Most were tossed during moves or when people upgraded to LED lights and smart bulbs. Some still linger at thrift stores, priced way too high. Their waxy glow lives on in memory, but not on modern nightstands.
