VCR to AI

⏪ REWIND

What we grew up with

We figured all of these out. We'll figure this out too. Tap a tape or a disk to see what it was.

• VHS tapeTap to flip VHS tapeLate 1970s to early 2000sRental stores begged you to "Be kind, rewind." Return a tape unrewound and some charged you for it.Tap to flip back
• BetamaxTap to flip Betamax1975 to mid 1980sSony launched it in 1975. It lost the format war to VHS, partly because early Beta tapes held one hour and VHS held two.Tap to flip back
• 8-track tapeTap to flip 8-track tapeMid 1960s to late 1970sOne endless loop of tape with four programs. It switched tracks with a loud clunk, often right in the middle of a song.Tap to flip back
• Cassette tapeTap to flip Cassette tape1970s to 1990sWhen it tangled or needed a rewind, a No. 2 pencil in the reel was the fix. Every Gen X kid knows the move.Tap to flip back
• MicrocassetteTap to flip Microcassette1970s to 2000sTiny tapes that lived in answering machines and dictation recorders. Your boss's memos and your mom's messages were on one.Tap to flip back
• 8-inch floppy diskTap to flip 8-inch floppy disk1970s to early 1980sIBM introduced it in the early 1970s. It really was floppy: a bendable disk in a thin sleeve, a full 8 inches across.Tap to flip back
• LaserDiscTap to flip LaserDisc1978 to 1990sA movie on a disc the size of a vinyl record. Long films meant getting up halfway through to flip it over.Tap to flip back
• 5.25-inch floppy diskTap to flip 5.25-inch floppy diskLate 1970s to early 1990sPeople cut a notch in the edge with a hole punch so they could write on the back side. A free second disk.Tap to flip back
• 3.5-inch floppy diskTap to flip 3.5-inch floppy diskMid 1980s to early 2000sA high density disk held 1.44 MB, less than one phone photo today. It lives on as the Save icon.Tap to flip back