CD Turns 25 -- How Much Longer Does It Have to Live?

Twenty-five years ago today, the first compact disks rolled off an assembly line. Although, while they were first developed into products by Philips, the CD was invented in the 1960s by an American, James Russell.

I can remember the first time I saw one -- my colleague at USA Today, John Hillkirk (now the paper's executive editor but then a tech writer), brought one in the office. A bunch of us gathered around in wonder, amazed that such a thing could hold music.

And now? Music CDs are slowly but surely on their way out. They probably won't disappear for a good long time, but CDs are being replaced by digital downloads. In another decade, they might seem as anachronistic as tape cassettes.

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