Technology acceptable in the 80s - fondly remembered today

It may have been the decade that taste forgot - but many Brits still yearn for 1980s technology around the home, from kitchen innovations like Soda Streams to living room shelves bulging with vinyl and video collections, according to new research from Halifax Home Insurance.

One in three (30%) prefer 1980s traditions such as shelves stacked with vinyl albums, 12 inch singles and video cassettes.

Just over half those quizzed (53%) believe the current, ‘Noughties' era will come to be viewed as the best for home gadget innovation, thanks to the likes of Sky Plus, Nintendo Wii and the iPhone.

Three quarters of people (74%) say that whatever new gadgets appear around the home in the future, children will still be the most likely to know how to use them.

Research from Halifax Home Insurance among 2,000 people, nationwide, compared Britain's homes of today with those of 25 years ago - 1983 - and what our homes could look like 25 years from now in 2033.

And while people believe that the current era will come to be viewed as the best ever for home gadget innovation, and that home technology will be CHEAPER in 2033, around one in three (30%) prefer 1980s traditions such as shelves stacked with vinyl albums, 12 inch singles and video cassettes, as opposed to having home entertainment saved digitally on PCs or iPods.

In 1983, over two thirds of people (68%) had a record player in their living room, while they were also likely to be found wearing a Sony Walkman (51%) and an original LED digital watch (47%).

The most popular technological items in the living rooms of 2008 are PCs (in 75% of homes), laptops (65%), iPods (45%) and plasma screen TVs (29%).

Predictions for the kitchen in 2033 include washing machines that iron clothes (according to 21% of those quizzed), and cookers controlled remotely by voice recognition (29%).

Just over half those quizzed (53%) believe the current, ‘Noughties' era will come to be viewed as the best for home gadget innovation, thanks to the likes of Sky Plus, Nintendo Wii and the iPhone.

David Rochester, Halifax Home Insurance head of underwriting, said: "The digital revolution has allowed entire music, film and TV collections to be stored digitally out of sight, but for many people - certainly those old enough to actually remember the 80s - they miss being able to display their tastes around the home for visitors to see.

"We've certainly moved away from having clutter in our homes towards more ordered, neat living spaces - people who had a bulky music system in the 80s, with turntable, cassette decks and giant speakers, for instance, are now likely to have an iPod, which they'll remove from their pocket, slip into a neat speaker docking system when they want some music, and then take away with them they leave the home.

"The technology surrounding home gadgets and electrical appliances is always going to be rapidly developing - just compare 1983 with 2008 - and it's vital that companies like Halifax Home Insurance keep up with latest trends so our products can be tailored to them."

And when it comes to home technology in 25 years' time, most Brits predict the average 2033 living room will incorporate giant wall-mounted screens used jointly for TV, surfing the internet and for video phone calls (69%), followed by temperature-sensitive central heating (62%), and music systems which pipe music into every room in the home, including the toilet and garden shed (60%).

Other predictions for 2033 include glass ‘display' coffee tables allowing people to ‘move' images, such as family photos, at the touch of a finger (31%) and 3D TV (32%).

But while technology around the home is guaranteed to develop over the next 25 years, one thing is set to stay the same: three quarters of people (74%) say that whatever new gadgets appear around the home in the future, CHILDREN will still be the ones most likely to know how to use them.

David Rochester, of Halifax Home Insurance, added: ‘The 80s are fondly recalled by many despite of, rather than because of, the styles, gadgets and fashions of the era - and it's highly likely that in 25 years time, we'll be looking back with the same amusement at the iPods and Wiis of today.'