With technology progressing in leaps and bounds, things will become redundant. New developments require new products. This is true for most of the things that we use, and electronic components are among them. After all, this is how it has always been. The new will constantly enter the scene and take the place of the old. That is how progress works after all.
There can be many reasons why electronic components may become obsolete. One of the most common reasons is that the products that use the components might have become obsolete. If a product has a short life cycle, it follows that the components that it uses will become redundant along with it. Thus, when that product goes out of the market and manufactures cease, it may herald the end for the components that it uses.
One of the reasons for components becoming obsolete has been the various government policies. Some time ago, when the European Union decided to ban some hazardous parts, component buyers were hit hard. In this case, among the parts to go were those that were not lead-free. With the EU ban in place, buyers using components made of lead or the other banned substances were hit hard. This was...