Viewed from the narrow perspective of tech and related services that were discontinued, deprecated, and disconnected, 2025 was relatively quiet. But it wasn't silent. At least 10 events stand out to me as a long-time observer and participant in the industry, from the perspective of having a notable impact or representing the end of an era.
For comparison, in 2022, we lost some notable names, including the iPod, Google Stadia and Internet Explorer. This year seemed to have fewer high-profile goodbyes and a lot more nostalgia and changes symptomatic of larger trends.
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Watch this: RIP to the Tech That Died in 2025 07:12
AOL disconnects its dial-up internet service
If you're of a certain age, like me, the screechy tones of a modem handshake connecting to the internet evoke a vivid audio memory of the slow, formative years of the web. In those early days, you logged into a particular service. The biggest fish, AOL, became synonymous with dial-up.
In September, 34 years after its launch, AOL ceased to screech and left a large number of rural customers without home internet access. (Some 2 million people were still using the service as of 2015.)
The Humane AI wearable when it was new. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Humane AI pin
I was baffled by the excitement surrounding the Humane AI pin, a wearable device that uses AI for voice chat. It may be because I've seen so many of these one-trick ponies come and go, most of which have been replaced by multifunctional gadgets.
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