> Can we feel confident that an Apple HEIC sitting inside an iPhone can be read 120 years from now? As long as we are still on the same technological path, the

> Can we feel confident that an Apple HEIC sitting inside an iPhone can be read 120 years from now? As long as we are still on the same technological path, then yes, we can be confident. Chemistry and lenses are a form a technology, such as required by developing and printing photographs. They couldn't be sure that when they invented Photography that people 120 years in the future would be able to work with the negatives. Certainly people could view prints if they hadnt faded into nothing, but developing or projecting prints from negatives requires a certain level of technology. Many negatives from the early days of film and photography have just disintegrated and are gone forever. Yes, modern prints are more durable, but they don't last forever. Old processes for analog and digital technologies are often rediscovered. I'm optimistic :-) Having said that, digital archive projects are tremendously important to preserving our history.