It is no secret that new technologies have seriously transformed our habits and the pace is accelerating visibly, especially regarding the media. The famous American magazine Time was so interested in the fifty most influential gadgets of all time, and the vast majority of them date, no surprise there, to the late 20th and early 21stcentury.
image credit to theverge.com
Among them, there are many things: computers, drones, 3D printers, virtual reality headset, game consoles… The list of 50 items is long and has been chronicled by information technology blogs in every possible manner. But undoubtedly, the most represented object is the phone. From the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x 80s to the Nokia 3210 via the BlackBerry 6210, these items clearly marked their time and changed our habits in the process.
But of all, the one which took the prize of the “game changer” and can take credit for having accelerated the transformation of our relations with these progressive objects is the iPhone. It rounded up the top spot, deserved or not by the brand. The iPhone is the precursor to what will eventually become smartphones, thanks to a high-end hardware, but especially with a simple and robust operating system, well thought ergonomics for the greatest number.
While some electronic devices, like the Virtual Boy from Nintendo or the Newton MessagePad from Apple are among the most memorable flops in the history of high-tech, others have instead revolutionized our lives. Today, smartphones, tablets and GPS we are almost indispensable. At a time when the connected objects are gradually invading our daily lives, Time magazine revealed its list of the 50 most influential high-tech products of all time. We offer a focus on the first ten rankings.
If you are an iPhone owner, be it a latest model or first generation; know that you have the most influential device ever created. Indeed, Time magazine puts the Apple flagship top of its list. Smartphones existed before their creation in 2007, “the iPhone has popularized the mobile device, changing the way we communicate, play games, buy, work and accomplish many tasks every day,” said the American weekly.
The Macintosh, another revolutionary device from Apple
The iPhone is not the only Apple product to have revolutionized our lives, as Time magazine puts the Macintosh 128K on the third step of the podium. Launched in 1984, the personal computer using a mouse and a graphical interface was the first commercial success of the apple firm. However, it is anticipated by the Trinitron in the ranking of the most influential objects of all time. This color TV, marketed by Sony in 1968, has made quite a splash. Indeed, 100 million copies were sold worldwide!
The top 5 consists of the unforgettable Sony Walkman (4th) and the first PC in history, the IBM 5150 Model (5th). Elsewhere in the ranking of Time magazine, we found with nostalgia the Atari 2600 console (13th) or the Nokia 3210 mobile phone (34th). But other more recent products listed in the top 50, like the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, although it has not yet been delivered to its first buyers, it is 39th.