We’re only 17 years into this century, and we’ve already seen so many technical advances, the likes of which we couldn’t have imagined even 30 years ago. No doubt, the coming decades will see even bigger and better advances in tech, but right now, let’s take some time to appreciate the 21st Century’s most important tech so far…
The iPhone
The one, the only, the Apple iPhone 6. It’s probably the best known modern tech gadget on the planet, and with good reason. It’s slick, stylish, sophisticated and more powerful than the average desktop computer was back in the 90s. Perhaps, most impressive of all are its fast-responding touchscreen, accuracy and the way it has enabled us to do everything from plan our car journeys to order pizza at the touch of a screen. It’s a truly marvelous invention
The iPad
Riding high on the iPhone’s success, Apple knocked it out of the park when they followed up with the wonderful iPad. As far as tablets go, you’d be hard pressed to find one that looks, feels or performs better. Making internet browsing and media consumption more portable than ever, you can do everything from check your emails to watch your favourite shows on Netflix on the go from anywhere you like.
The Driverless Car
Google has given us many great inventions, not least it’s fantastic search engine, which means finding anything you can think of in a matter of seconds, but the thing that could truly change lives in the 21str Century is surely the Google driverless car. Equipped with sensors, video cameras, and laser range finders, Google cars can safely transport you from one place to the other, completely unaided, making those old Knightrider fantasies one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Nintendo Wii
It doesn’t have the best graphics, and the games arguably aren’t amongst the greatest of the 21st Century, but there’s no denying that the Wii is an important piece of tech that truly changed the way we think about gaming. Instead of sitting silently on the couch, the Wii got us all up and immersed in the games we played, and this is something that has continued with Playstation Move, Xbox Kinect, and most recently VR Headsets. From b=humble beginnings and all that.
Android
Google’s Android Software has been a revolution for the 21st Century. It has brought down the costs of smartphones and tablets and made devices much more customizable than they ever were before. It’s also encouraged more people of all ages to get into developing and creating their own apps for the popular platform.
Before Facebook, there was Myspace, and before that, there was Friends Reunited, but Facebook was the one that made social networking really take off, and it has dominated the internet ever since. With over 600 million active users logging on top post about their day, follow celebrities and exchange messages with friends each day, it’s fair to say that Facebook is the most important invention of this century so far and it’s truly revolutionised the way we all spend out time, some would say it’s changed it for the worst, while others love it, but most of us use it.
What are your personal most important gadgets of the 21st Century so far?