Editing Cassette deck (section)

== Decline in popularity ==
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Analog cassette deck sales were expected to decline rapidly with the advent of the compact disc and other [[digital recording]] technologies such as [[digital audio tape]] (DAT), [[MiniDisc]], and the [[CD-R]] recorder drives. Philips responded with the [[digital compact cassette]], a system which was backward-compatible with existing analog cassette recordings for playback. However, it failed to garner a significant market share and was withdrawn from the market. One reason proposed for the lack of acceptance of digital recording formats such as DAT was a fear by content providers that the ability to make very high-quality copies would hurt sales of copyrighted recordings.

The rapid transition was not realized and CDs and cassettes successfully co-existed for nearly 20 years. A contributing factor may have been the inability of early CD players to reliably read discs with surface damage and offer anti-skipping features for applications where external vibration would be present, such as automotive and recreation environments.  Early CD playback equipment also tended to be expensive compared to cassette equipment of similar quality and did not offer recording capability.  Many home and portable entertainment systems supported both formats and commonly allowed the CD playback to be recorded on cassette tape. The rise of inexpensive all-solid-state portable digital music systems based on [[MP3]], [[LC-AAC|AAC]] and similar formats finally saw the eventual decline of the domestic cassette deck. As of 2020, [[Marantz]], [[Teac]], and [[Tascam]] are among the few companies still manufacturing cassette decks in relatively small quantities for professional and niche market use. By the late 1990s, automobiles were offered with entertainment systems that played both cassettes and CDs. By the end of the late 2000s, very few cars were offered with cassette decks. The last vehicle model in the United States that came standard with a factory-installed cassette player was the 2010 [[Lexus SC]] 430,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://driving.ca/features/feature-story/these-10-car-features-took-absolutely-forever-to-die|title=These 10 car features took absolutely forever to die|publisher=Driving|date=2019-02-03}}</ref> however the [[Ford Crown Victoria]] came with a cassette deck as an option until the model was discontinued in 2011.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} As radios became tightly integrated into dashboards, many cars lacked even standard openings that would accept aftermarket cassette player installations.

Despite the decline in the production of cassette decks, these products are still valued by some. Many [[blindness|blind]] and elderly people find the newest digital technologies very difficult to use compared to the cassette format. Cassette tapes are not vulnerable to scratching from handling (though the exposed magnetic tape is vulnerable to stretching from poking), and play from where they were last stopped (though some modern [[MP3 player]]s offer [[savestating]] electronically). Cassette tapes can also be recorded multiple times (though some solid-state digital recorders are now offering that function).

Today, cassette decks are not considered by most people to be either the most versatile or highest fidelity sound recording devices available, as even very inexpensive CD or digital audio players can reproduce a wide frequency range with no speed variations. Many current budget-oriented cassette decks lack a tape selector to set proper bias and equalization settings to take best advantage of the extended high end of Type II [High Bias] and Type IV [Metal Bias] tapes.

Cassettes remain popular for audio-visual applications. Some CD recorders, particularly those intended for business use, incorporate a cassette deck to allow both formats for recording meetings, church sermons, and books on tape.