technostalgia
n. Nostalgia for older forms of technology that are perceived as simpler to use or as having better quality than current technology.
Other Forms
Etymology
Examples
1997
Sweet, their fans call the sound that comes from the vacuum-tube stereo equipment of the 1960's: sweet, natural and warm….Now, two of the most famous names from the golden days of tubes, Marantz and McIntosh, have introduced exacting reproductions of equipment from 30 years ago…The reissues remind many aficionados of their own youth, the way 60's muscle cars remind their owners of happy adolescent days. Such enthusiasms combine technophilia with nostalgia, merging into a new compound — technostalgia.
—Phil Patton, “Public Eye,” The New York Times, September 18, 1997
1994 (earliest)
Last Seen: Finally vanished from American and Japanese electronics shops in 1983 but can still be seen if you rent a copy of the James Bond film Octopussy.

Price: A steep $ 500 - expensive for a watch but an average price for a new TV.

History: As one of Q's gadgets, the first ever liquid crystal display TV watch was given the ultimate promotion. Seiko has been inundated with calls from 007 fans ever since.
—Tessa Mayes, “Technostalgia: The Television Watch,” The Guardian, April 03, 1994
Filed Under