I made a thread just recently talking about which products and companies have been most affected by the digital revolution, and I found the responses very interesting and informative. Now I'd love to hear the opposite side of the spectrum which is the products that probably will always be needed and will likely never be replaced even as technology advances more and more. I was partly interested in starting this thread because of another one that talked abut umbrellas. I think umbrellas will always be necessary because people will probably always need to go out and it's unlikely we'll be able to stop rain anytime soon. What other products can you guys think of that will probably never be toppled by technological advancement?
We'll always need paper, pens, notebooks, pencils, etc. I remember at one time most people thought that when computers were used extensively, paper would not be needed. But what happened? Offices started using even more paper. And as for pens and other writing products, I'm sure they'll also always be needed for signing legal documents or any other documents, they're great for brainstorming, etc.
I think your right people are always going to need umbrellas and its going to always rain the umbrella isn't going anywhere. Now at first paper, pens, and notebooks seem like something that isn't going anywhere but with so many things being digital now its going to only increase and in another 30 years I wouldn't be surprised to see every one writing on hand held devices not needing pens, paper, or a notebook.
Basic writing utensils, like paper an pens will always be around. No matter how much they try, it is still faster to just jot down a paper note. Hard copies of important information will likely stay around because people who think thing through know that without hard copies your data is vulnerable to a system crash, hard drive problems, getting lost in the cloud, hacking, all sorts of things. Paper backup means you can still access your data if you need to, even if you computers are down.