I have a great deal of nostalgia for the tech from the era around 2002-2008. I often want to go back to that era.

That said, when it comes down to it, I can’t be bothered to actually use those things today. I bought a dedicated digital camera during the pandemic, but haven’t used it in years. I bought an old iPod mini a while ago, but also don’t really use it. I have my old G4 iMac in a box that I’ve been meaning to setup (and check the cmos battery), but I’m not sure where I’d put it or what I’d actually use it for… managing the iPod maybe?

I don’t think there is one reason, but rather a combination of a few reasons. Carrying extra devices is bulky, especially when one of this is a phone that keeps growing and has a large screen I don’t want to scratch (so it gets a dedicated pocket). The infrastructure around these things isn’t what it once was, so they require more intentionality to use, which generally involves living on the fringe of supported workflows. At this stage of my life I simply don’t need the things on a regular basis, so I’m not in the habit of carrying them, and don’t really miss them all that much. The world around me has moved on, so going without a smartphone isn’t really possible anymore; my job, bank, some restaurants, etc, etc all pretty much require it. At what point does it become more complex to try to live a simple life?

For me, the appeal of retro tech is that it was tech that I could actually be in control of and it couldn't easily betray me.