Why are cassettes and cassette players outdated?

Question

I don't care for CD's; I know they can hold a lot more music, but they're so unpredictable and it's like going back to the 45 rpm era. Why should I have to spend a lot of money to download everything onto MP3's and Ipods? Besides, I'm simply more than content to stay with the cassette tecnology as it was. Why can't I have this freedom of choice? For me, it doesn't get any better than cassettes. Besides being a "horse and buggy guy" in this "jet-age" world, I think I may be partial to casettes because most of my stuff is talk, like the Bible on tape. Am I the only one on planet earth who thinks like this? For now, I think I can still go to Walgreens to buy cassettes and players, but I worry that the time is fastly approaching when this will not be an option anymore. Already, I can't by books and poetry on tape at Barnes and Nobles or Borders. And what's next? Five years down the road, are we going to have to spend more hard-earned money to "upgrade" to something else?

Answer 1

The CD Industry wants You to think cassettes, as well as all other analogue forms of media, are outdated... when in fact, they are not. Digital may be convenient, but it can NEVER Reproduce the ambient sound that only a Real Continuous Tonal Analogue recording can, such as Vinyl and Audio Tapes.

Answer 2

I am even surprised that someone is still actively selling cassettes. The only place I see them is in closeout sales.

CDs have the advantage that you can go to where you want instead of having to blindly go through a tape till you hit it. They also are more durable since the have no moving parts and can't wear out or get wrapped around the capstans of a tape player.

If you were around in Gutenberg's time would you be vexed that the bibles weren't being hand-copied by monks any more and that now you had to deal with ones printed on a press?

You can stick with the cassettes you have until your player wears out or nothing you want is available on cassettes. But be prepared their day has passed and you will need to buy something newer.

Answer 3

Your at a cross roads with technology.I understand the difficulty of adopting a new media format.Unfortunately time and everything else move forward. You can stay true to tapes but it has already been fazed out.By ignoring the new technology you will corner your self to the point of no return.Your tapes due to magnetization and use over time will fade away,plus the tape players will have the gears,they will dry up, they stop working or get the tapes caught within the pinch wheels which will ruin the tapes forever. At that point you cant replace or fix any of it. I recommend a slow gradual transition.Get a computer with a CD burner and a sound card the you can connect your tape play to the PC and over time convert your tapes to CD.Its cheap to do.A barrel of 50 Cd's can be under $15. A portable CD player can be as cheap as $20. Save your self before its to late.By adopting you can extend the life of your tapes since you wont need to use them as much, and the CD is a great way to back everything up.

Answer 4

Cassette technology was less versatile than downloading MP3 songs. You cannot upload or download the full contents of a cassette in a few seconds.

CD players offered a smaller format, higher quality sound and more music. But a drawback is that they are more fragile and they can scratch easily.

A cassette was more expensive to produce, distribute and sell. MP3 songs on the net is much cheaper to produce and sell.

I too liked cassettes very much, no copy protection, I could record whatever I wanted, I used to play them on my cassettes Walkman etc.

Now, It's a bit more complicated to do this.

Answer 5

Cassettes are analog tape they can be ripped out very easily. CD's have clearer sound and their lighter and thinner. I'm not a big fan of mp3's (except on my computer) get used CD's at flee markets. Cheap, good quality music is what it is. Vinyl is awesome and CD's are awesome. Cassettes and mp3's are ok.

Answer 6

You can't fight technological progress. For the longest time I was a big-time anti-windoze user. Long live DOS. But changes in hardware and technology makes using windows or Linux a must. Besides, CD players are quite cheap and the discs themselves aren't all that unreliable so long as you don't abuse them.

As for freedom of choice: You have the choice to participate in the latest technology, or stick with the old and eventually lose out. BETA and VHS are about gone, which sucked. I had over 300+ VHS tapes in my collection and ended up having to switch over to DVD. But it was worth it for me, but now this darn Blu-Ray/HD-DVD stuff is coming out. Grrrrr!

And imagine in maybe 10 years time no more CD's as we know them. Just optical discs the size of your thumbnail and holding 20X more stuff.

Answer 7

Because a CD doesn't get jammed in your home or car stereo and you have to take the fcuking thing apart to get the tape out, and then the tape is ruined and if it was the only copy of that particular bit of music your shyt out of luck.

Why not ask why music isn't still played on cylnders and wind-up Victrolas?

Answer 8

well for one theyre ugly secondly they mess up easy and cassette players are huge it like having a small tv around your waist

Answer 9

Get with the program. If you can't pick up your guitar or piano and play it yourself, it's not worth listening to. The rest is capitalist propoganda.

Answer 10

you hate cds but love cassette? are you retarded? cassettes have the WORST sound quality especially after having it for awhile. and that fast forward and rewind crap? ok, im convinced. you are retarded.

get out of the 80's