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10 Things That Will Likely Disappear in 2009

Shadows and Silhouettes Around Portsmouth NH - Ann Cummings 2008

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article by InfoWorld.com written by Mike Elgan that talked about 10 things the author felt wouldn't make it through the recession we're in.

These things are all around now, the last day of 2008, but will they still be here at the end of 2009?

Here's the list of the 10 Things That Won't Survive the Recession:

Free Tech Support - humans answering the phone and helping with tech problems will fall by the wayside, and many companies will resort to message boards for consumers to seek help from.
Wi-Fi We Pay For - public and/or free wi-fi is popping up all over the place, including many towns setting up their own wi-fi for their residents. With this happening, there won't be any need to keep paying for it.
Landline Phones - with so many dropping their landlines to go totally cellular, it's predicted landline phones will become archaic very soon.
Movie Rental Stores - downloading movies will force this to happen.
Web 2.0 Companies With No Business Plans - investors have dried up, and those with money want to see solid business plans before letting go of any money.
Silicon Valley Companies - failures and mergers of tech companies have caused this to happen, and a prediction of them to boom again during the next boom.
Palm, Inc. - iPhone, Blackberry and Google causing the demise of Palm and its investor partner, Elevation Partner.
Yahoo - not being able to compete with Google, will it go the way of Netscape, Commodore, and others?
Half of All Retail Stores - online shopping has taken over a huge chunk of shopping, and the prediction is that malls will become ghost towns, many stores will just disappear, and Amazon.com will become a monster shopping site.
Satellite Radio - the losses are too big and financial obligations can't be met. New car sales are way off, and that's where most of the satellite radios are sold. Ah, goodbye Howard Stern??

What will disappear next?? Ann Cummings NH REALTOR

I'm inclined to agree with this list, and I'm sure we'll see more than just this list of 10 disappear. What are your thoughts on these things disappearing? What others would you include that you don't think will make it through the coming year, or that won't make it through this recession?

Change is afoot, and has been, and I think we'll see some very interesting changes during the coming year. Any predictions on what those might be? Feel free to leave your predictions in the comments.

Here's to a great and interesting 2009 for all of us!
Happy New Year,
Ann

Servicing the New Hampshire towns of Portsmouth, Newcastle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Stratham, Exeter, Greenland, Newington, Dover, Durham and surrounding areas, and the Maine towns of Kittery, Kittery Point, Eliot, South Berwick, York, and surrounding areas.

Posted by Portsmouth NH Homes Condos - Ann Cummings New Hampshire REALTOR® on 12/31/2008 08:04 PM

Comments (50)

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50 Comments on 10 Things That Will Likely Disappear in 2009

DEC

Hi Ann...As long as butter pecan ice cream is not on the list I'll enjoy 2009.

If I can think of anything that might disappear I'll be back.

Kate

I haven't had a landline for five years, I do agree with the movie store thing except blockbuster (video games and online rentals with instore returns will keep them around). Also Redbox will help put them under. Yahoo will do something spectacular to revive itself. Satellite radio will ad advertisments and become free, but reciever prices will be higher and antenna recievers better. Does make you think though.

Hi Kate - oh I hope butter pecan ice cream never disappears, too! Love that flavor.

Hi Keith and Shellye - I have a landline, and after the horrible ice storm we had up here before Christmas, I won't be letting go of mine any time soon. Cell phone towers were down, electricity out for days - at times, my landline was the only thing working that allowed me to reach out to family and friends. I thought this list was interesting in its predictions.

Thanks for reading and commenting!
Ann

Seems like we have more cell phone towers than gas stations around here.

That's a great list, and now that I think about it, I'm sure you're correct...I also think that corn will disappear off the tree stump before morning---due to the big, fat new year's squirrel on a blog prowl...happy new year!

I think I have to agree with most of the list, except the landline. We still keep ours, as do many of my family and friends. I will be happy to see more free Wi-Fi. My favorite freebie is Panera's. I still carry my wireless card most everywhere.

Happy New Year's , Ann!

Hi Keith and Shellye - we have a few towers around here, and they're usually pretty stable. But many of us learned a few lessons from our ice storm, and I'd be hard pressed to do away with my landline after that.

Hi Mara - the corn! Exactly why I used that picture! ;-)

Hey Paula - I'm with you on the landline. Most of my family still has theirs, too, with the exception of 2 of my sisters. Free wi-fi in more places will be nice, and I'd bet we'll be seeing more of that in the coming year. I'm glad to see you!

Happy New Year!
Ann

I'm really worried about all the cell towers killing off the Bees. Without Bees to pollinate..I think we'll see the demise of all sorts of good food stuff. Nobody is much talking about it except the Bee keepers. Kinda scary!

Ann, I've already dropped my land line and I'd love to see free wi-fi. Newspaper ads are becoming obsolete. The older generation is using the net instead. I foresee the country tightening up on frills and luxury items. Hope you have a very prosperous New Year!

Hi Ann- Interesting list....I think the loss of customer service is the one I care about the most :) So, say it isn't so LOL :) It will be interesting as so many things were popular in our "throw away society" mentality, but now that we have to spend differently they can't all survive. Natural, and new ones will pop up to take their place.

Happy New Year Ann......

Wow, that's interesting what Monika said about the bees....so the Cell towers there has affected the bee population? Although interesting I doubt anyone will mitigate it at this point in time.

JAN

Hi Ann, pretty good list - I was surprised at the lack of Christmas shoppers, then I remembered - free shipping this year online at many sites.

We still have a landline, for MLS lockbox updates and internet, but don't know where the actual phone is.

Happy 2009!

Say it ain't so! I would be lost without my Satellite Radio. I don't even listen to Howard.

I have already gotten rid of my landline went with http://Ooma.com telephone over my internet provider. Got rid of my Palm Treo 650 and purchased the Blackberry Storm. I love it too.

We haven't rented a video in years. I have a satellite radio but do not subscribe.

I doubt half of the retail stores will close in '09 but it just may take a few more years for that to happen.

Ann, I had heard the bee population was dwindling but didn't know it was because of cell towers. Interesting. Dropped my landline as soon as a guy from AT&T told me I didn't need it for my internet...shouldn't have told me that if they want business! Why pay for something you don't need?

Ann, have a wonderfully happy 2009! You deserve it!

Ann,

Interesting list.

I've had Sirius since before Stern, liked the commercial free music instead of the incessant talking by DJ's. We have XM in my wife's car and since they've merged, the programming is the same.

We still have a land line (it's actually a listed number) but we never answer it. No bells and whistles either, but it will work "just in case" like when cell phone towers go down as they did after the hurricanes when we lived in Florida.

Switched to blackberries over a year ago, best move we ever made with cell phones.

Free wi-fi is the way to go. I used to get really angry when there was a charge (like at the Philadelphia airport) but with a Blackberry it really doesn't matter.

Free Tech Support - Most of it is outsourced now to India anyway. Costs the company something like 15 t0 20% of the rate here in the US. You get a robotic person reading off a screen. I get better tech support when I ask for help on AR or Realtown.

Hey Ann... You broke 300,000 points with this post! Congratulations and Happy New year!

Hi Ann,

I just wanted to say I'm glad we saw each other this year again and wishing you a happy New Year.

I think BAD treatment by retail employees will end in 2009. The days of walking up to a cashier when they're on a cell phone talking to their friends and taking your money.... GONE.

Retail and service employees will be walking on ice - their JOBS and the survival of their company will depend on their GOOD customer service, just as it was in the good 'ole days! Every sale will COUNT. With unemployment rising, good, qualified sales people will be easier to find, and those who don't care about providing that service will be out....!

Hi Monika - I hadn't heard anything about the bees and cell towers. I had to go read that article again that I linked to to see if it was mentioned there and I missed it. Maybe you should do a post on that....

Hi Kay - I think you're right on the mark about tightening up on spending regarding frills and luxury items. I know I've certainly been very frugal for awhile now, and those are the kinds of things that I haven't been parting with my money for. We have free wi-fi here in Portsmouth, but not all of the town just yet, and there's free wi-fi in many places my travels have taken me. I'm not parting with my landline yet. This ice storm we had recently made me really glad I still had it.

Hi Kathy - I hadn't heard anything about bees and cell towers, so not sure what area that's in. Maybe everywhere. I bet if that hits mainstream news, some might take up that cause.

Thanks for the comments, and Happy New Year,
Ann

Hi Virginia - I didn't really venture out to malls, etc during Christmas shopping but I had heard traffic was way down in most places. No doubt that free shipping and the great online deals had a big impact on brick and mortar retailers. Our Supra lockboxes require a landline as well - hmm, wonder if they'll be changing that any time soon?

Hi Melody - I don't know much about satellite radio, but the things that article I referenced had to say about it made some good sense.

Hey Jay - I remember you writing about ooma some time ago, and Kristal as well. I'm still hanging onto my landline. When cell towers and internet went down during our ice storm, my landline at times was the only way I could have communication with people. I know that was a rare happening, but just like stockpiling of supplies, I'm keeping that, too. I agree with you about it taking more time for that many stores to close, if that happens. But a good number of large companies have already made those kinds of announcements - closings and/or merging.

Hi Linda - Funny that AT&T would deliver that message when landline service is one of their divisions! Oh well.... Hmm, I must have missed the news about the bees, Monika mentioned them, too.

Thanks for your comments, and I wish you all a Happy New Year,
Ann

Hi Fred P. - great to see you! I have friends who've had Sirius for a long time now, too, and I think they'd be greatly disappointed to see that prediction. I don't have a PDA as yet, but Blackberry is the way I'm going when I do. I actually thought I had ordered one at the NAR convention in Orlando, but it's never arrived and they don't seem to have any records of it either. Oh you are SO right about the help we can get right here on AR and on RealTown - far better and much quicker and efficient than any I might get when calling a company.

Hey Monika - and so I did! I hadn't noticed that until I read what you wrote - crossed that line on New Year's Eve night I guess. And here I had been thinking about what I might want to do for my 300,000 point post. I may still do something - to me, that's a HUGE mark to cross. Hmm...

Hey Neal - I wish we could get together more often, and am thankful for seeing you again in Orlando. Thanks for your friendship!

Hi Fred L. - I so hope you're right in your prediction of bad service going by the wayside. That SHOULD be gone, and should never have been allowed to happen to start with. Employers, I would think, would enjoy being able to choose who they're going to hire rather than having to take whoever happened along that wanted a job. It will be nice to see great work ethics coming back into the workplace, wherever that workplace is.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. And a very Happy New Year to all,
Ann

I love my satellite radio and will be devastated if this prediction comes true! And the move away from customer support to customers supporting one another cannot be a good thing. I hope that these turn out to be wrong.

Happy New Year to you and yours, Ann :)

Hi Lisa - I hope for those who like it that satellite radio doesn't go away. I don't know enough about it to even express an opinion, other than what the article I read said about it. And I really do, like you, hope tha customer support prediction doesn't really come to be either.

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year,
Ann

Ann, that's an interesting list, and one that I agree with. So while these things are doing a disappearing act, I hope you have a wonderful New Year.

I don't know if I can handle driving without my satellite radio! Terrestrial radio stinks compared to satellite.

Ann- Congratualtions on your new milestone...over 300,000 Yea....I will wait for "The Post" where you write on this :) :) Sure was nice talking to you today.....

Ann I for one would hate to see #1 happen. It is bad enough having to deal with Tech Services being provided from India, but even that is better then non at all.

Interesting. I don't think I could stand it if XM goesa away. That is how I manage to make it through my long hours of previewing properties.

Marcy

Hi Pat - I hope you have a great 2009 as well! Happy New Year

Hi Erica - 'terrestrial radio', don't think I've heard that phrase before! I don't have satellite radio, so I don't know what the difference is. For all of you who enjoy it, I hope it doesn't change for you.

Hey Kathy - thanks, and it was great talking with you as well. "The Post", huh? We shall see..... ;-)

Hey George - I agree, I was a little bummed when I read that one his list.

Hi Marcy - I've had a number of comments about satellite radio. I do hope it stays around for all of you who like it.

Thanks for the comments - much appreciated. Happy New Year,
Ann

Ann,

We discontinued our landline. What with two cell phones in the house why would we need one! It will also be interesting to see what happens with all of the items you have listed.

JAN

I was thinking there just may be a lot of retail space for rent in 2009 and also I agree video stores will be disappearing too. Like the rest, I will be keeping land lines for awhile.

Ann~

Just so long as friends and pets and the LAND stay around, we will be OK..right? It would also be nice to have more "green" clients...and organic gardens...this sounds like my wish list for 2009...and I wish this for YOU =) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Interesting list. Down here in Arkansas, Sellers get so excited when they see their listing in the local newspaper. The calls are not coming in on the listings, but it makes the Sellers happy.

We have got to get more Internet Savvy.

Jeanette Hemmer, Re/Max Plus Realty, Clarksville,Ar

My area will be stuck with landlines because of no cell towers... some of our areas are still on dial-up networks... Our teens don't text message.... It's like a step back in time for visitors from other areas....

I may be old fashioned but I still like my land line telephone. I find cell phones are too unpredictable and not that easy to use. Bluetooth is wonderful if you can hear what the person on the other end is saying!!! I don't like garbled talk, maybe I am getting old but half the time I can't hear what the person on the other end is saying if they are using an ear piece.

JAN

Hi Don - I'm a long way from doing away with my landline at this point. Our cell towers went down a few times during a recent ice storm, and my landline was the only way I could communicate with people at times. I'm keeping mine for awhile.

Hi Mary - I think you're right about the retail space and video stores. We've seen several of our video stores close up, 2 are still around but not sure how well they're doing.

Hey janeAnne - friends and pets and land will stay for sure, and we will definitely be okay. ;-)

Hi Jeanette - the ad sections in our local papers have been very lean for quite some time now, and our local homes magazines have been on the thin side, too, and getting thinner all the time.

Caron's Gateway RE - wow, that is a step back in time, BUT there's nothing wrong with that since your whole area is like that. You probably have a nice slow pace of life, too, right?

Hi Sandra - I like my landline phone, too, and many of my friends are still hanging on to theirs, too. I don't see any compelling reasons to get rid of mine, so it's staying put for now.

Thanks for all your comments - Happy New Year!
Ann

I agree with the list except for movie rentals. The store fronts may go away, but there are other delivery potentials without the internet. I had not rented a movie in years until that Red Box popped up at McDonalds. .99/day and you do not have to get out of your car, very convient. I've used netflix and other sites, but if I want a movie, I want it now.

Hi Chad - I don't know anything about the "Red Box" at McDonald's. What is that? Sounds pretty convenient. There's a grocery store somewhere around me that prints some kind of coupon or something on the back of their receipts that lets you redeem them for videos in their store. Is the McDonald's thing like that?

Ann

JAN

Ann, good predictions! I think more newspapers will continue to go out of business and become a thing of the past.

And I hope that customer service becomes a thing of the future...they say that everything old becomes new again!

Happy New Year...may it be a good one for all of us!

Red Box- Its an actual vending machine at the McDonalds around here. You drive up, swipe your card and select your movie and it pops out. When you are done, you take it back to the box and it returns it. It bills you .99/day. We've been using it for about a year now, never had any problems with it.

Hey Gena - I looked at our newspaper's 'real estate section' this morning, and it didn't even take a full page for the few ads that were there. We used to have several pages' worth - not any more. And I agree with you about hoping REAL customer service comes back in.

Hi Chad - thanks for coming back on the Red Box thing at McDonald's. I'm guessing they don't have that here in my area as I've not seen any promo on it and no mention of it when you go through their drive-through. It sounds interesting though....I'll keep an eye out for it here.

Ann

Hi Ann - I think we can add a lot of newspapers, magazines, and newsstands to that list as more people get their info digitally. It seems that every week there's an announcement from a major newspaper about scaling back their size, distribution or publishing dates.

An interesting list, however, many of them will still survive the recession.

Paid for WiFi - most towns that started free WiFi have folded those operations. There will probably be a very low subscription fee for WiFi in downtown areas as opposed to free

Landline phones - there are still rabbit ear TV's out there, there is still terrible cellular service away from major thoroughfares and population areas.

Yahoo will survive, just as netscape has (it is now Mozilla/Firefox)

Downloading movies will not take over until we get really good high speed internet at reasonable prices. Not enough bandwidth yet to meet the demand of HD movies downloaded.

Hi John - I think you're right about that, and the news does seem to keep bringing news of more closures or scaling-back going on.

Hi Mike - the towns that I know of have been expanding their free wi-fi areas, including my own town. And there are also a lot of businesses that offer free wi-fi - restaurants, bookstores, libraries, etc. Many of my friends got rid of their landlines some time ago, but not me, and I don't think I will for some time to come. I guess it depends on the carriers in your area and how their coverage and services are. Coverage here in my areas allows for any who choose to do so, to get rid of their landlines with no problems.

Thanks for the comments,
Ann

Well I will not miss paying for WIFI or Howard Stearn. I think I am going to miss many of favorite retailers.

JAN

Hi James - I'm with you on both of those, paying for wi-fi and Mr. Stearns!

Ann

JAN

Ann, I think another thing we will see is the commercial end of real estate in the tubes. We have witnessed the fall of real estate with the single family homes and the foreclosures but the commercial sector I think will suffer greatly. Hope I'm wrong.

JAN

Hi Gena - the commercial market here in my area seems to have fared better than in other areas. At least so far, that's what we've been seeing, And I think commercial real estate is just as local as residential - some areas do far better than others, and it also depends on whether an area was over-built or over-developed or not.

Ann

AUG

Hey! Don't kill Howard :)

Instead promote the show with this new "Real Estate Stern Fan" website widget: http://houseyourmom.com/real-estate-stern-fan

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