One technology will typically trump another when it’s an improvement over the existing one. Think of high-definition television compared with standard-definition TV, surround sound versus stereo, the word processor and a typewriter.
But one technology has superseded an existing one even though it provides a far worse experience than its predecessor: cellphone voice calls.
Most users will tell you they have experienced dropped calls, incomprehensible speech and voice quality that mimics speaking from the bottom of a fish tank.
Of course, the reason for the cellphone’s triumph over the great voice quality of traditional landline phones is obvious: the mobile phone and the smartphone, in particular, have changed the nature of communication. Convenience and capability have quite understandably trumped quality.