- Amazon still lists obsolete storage devices under “Hot New Releases” categories
- Floppy, Zip and tape drives remain online decades after losing relevance
- Removing them would simplify navigation and stop confusing modern technology buyers
Like many people who have been in tech for a long time, I have accumulated a lot of products over the years. I’m not very good at throwing things away – because you never know when you’ll need them!
As a result, I also have a large collection of cables dating back several decades. I would go through and discard the really old ones, but many of them are matted, so that’s a project for another time.
I also have boxes – big boxes, not shoe boxes – of stuff that hasn’t been relevant for years.
The 1990s were called
These hardware items include graphics cards, other expansion cards, small capacity external storage devices, external Zip drives, and as many as three floppy disk drives and five optical drives.
I will never need them and one day I will throw them away. Probably at the same time I’m getting rid of all those old CDs, DVDs and floppy disks.
The reason I mention this is because Amazon seems to be a lot like me and still has way too many old storage products in their warehouses. Run a search and you’ll see.
Worse yet, under the banner “Amazon Hot New Releases,” the retail giant offers sections for tape libraries, external Zip drives, and floppy and tape drives.
As you might expect, there aren’t a lot of exciting and interesting new releases in these categories, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
If you have floppy disks and have a burning desire to know what’s inside them, then Amazon has a new USB external floppy drive and disk drive emulator for you.
The “best-selling new and future releases” in these three categories are described as “updated frequently”, so if you’re in the market for a brand new external Zip drive, be sure to check back often.
It’s hard to imagine anyone actually buying a new floppy disk or Zip drive in 2025, and by keeping these categories alive, Amazon risks confusing shoppers who may think these are relevant products rather than relics.
Removing them would clean up his store and make his “Hot New Releases” page a little less ironic.
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