The pace of change in our world is positively dizzying, and nowhere is this more true than in the field of technology. It seems that we hardly have time to catch our breath from the current spate of changes when the next wave hits. The reality is that if anything, the pace of change is only accelerating. It's likely that in five years time, we will scarcely recognize the world around us, and many of the machines that are ubiquitous in the office environment today will go the way of the dinosaur in the blink of an eye. Some of the likely candidates for extinction are as follows:

Fax Machines

In the age of DocuScan/DocuSign, these venerable workhorses are simply not long for the world. The technology has just gone ahead and moved beyond them.

Office Phones

With so many other modes of 24/7 communication available, the lowly office phone is increasingly collecting dust. How long before some enterprising manager takes the final step and simply unplugs them altogether? In a world of Skype, real time video chat, and Bluetooth devices connected to our portable phones, does anybody really ever use their old office clunker anymore?

Desktop Computers

Hand helds are the future, and they're already verging on being made obsolete by wearable devices. The PC is, at this point, an old workhorse whose best days are behind it. Expect them to be put to pasture sooner, rather than later.

Flash Drives

The replacement to the venerable Compact Disc had a much shorter run than the technology it eclipsed. Sadly, it has now been eclipsed by “The Cloud,” rendering it obsolete and unnecessary. Data now lives everywhere. Having a copy on a physical drive you can hold in your hand feels...quaint.

Photocopiers

Like their cousin, the Fax Machine, photocopiers had a great run and a long useful life. Increasingly though, they're looking out of place and underutilized in the modern work environment. It won't be long before they are as hard to find as spare parts for the Space Shuttle. The upside to this one's demise? Christmas parties will be significantly safer.

Farewell, obsolete tech. We loved you - well, most of the time anyway - and we will miss you.