When it comes to choosing our lists of the best high-tech from then and now, it is not as easy as we first thought. We went into this thinking we had a good idea of what we wanted to list, but upon reflection it’s not as simple as that. However, upon much deliberation we now think we have it — we just hope that you agree with us?
The first on our list has to be the Sony Walkman cassette player, as this revolutionized how we listed to music, as this could now be done while on the go. The device was first introduced back in 1979, but it was not until the 80s that the device really took off. Over the years there have been many contenders, but the Walkman was still king.
If you are looking for a Sony Walkman equivalent from today, then that would have to be the Apple iPod. OK, so we know that there were other MP3 players already on the market, but Apple did what they did best, and take something and make it even better. They seem to have an habit of doing this, as there were already smartphones on the market, but the iPhone showed to us what a phone should really be like. The iPod and iPhone is to us the best tech of the decade, and we cannot see them being topped anytime soon.
Today we have the Sony PS3 and the Xbox 360 and although they offer unrivaled graphics, they owe their existence to the Atari 2600, which was first introduced 1977. It is one of the first consoles that made full use of a microprocessor, which meant that it did not have to rely on built-in games, instead switching to a cartridge format instead. This was not the first console to use this format, but it was the first to make it more popular.
The IBM 5100 was a PC from 1975 and was an evolution of the Special Computer APL Machine Portable. While looking at your personal computers today you will have to give thanks for the device that started them all. There are a number of home computers on the market today, but none of them can be considered a game-changer like the IMB 5100. However, the iMac comes very close. Most Windows PCs look very much the same and do not seem to evolve, only in hardware; the iMac on the other hand keeps changing, with the latest model being the best yet.
These are what we believe to be some of the best tech from then and now, but there are so many more devices that need a mention, such as the Dyson vacuum cleaner, CD-ROM Encyclopedia, Internet, search engines to name but a few.
What has been the best technology over the past few decades?
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