The world of technology is ever-changing, and throughout the 21st century, we’ve seen some incredible innovations that have changed the way we live, socialise and source entertainment forever.
A host of thrilling new tech gadgets have served as vehicles for the transformation, and while some might already long have been forgotten, their influence on today’s lifestyle and the fact that they paved the way for a whole new generation of intelligent electronics shouldn’t be underestimated.
From the iPod to the Amazon Alexa, here we take a nostalgic look at some of the best-loved tech gadgets that have shaped the century and set the ball rolling for the development of the luxurious devices we know and love today.
The Apple iPod
It perhaps goes without saying that Apple is going to feature heavily in this list, and understandably so – as if one brand has had the single greatest impact on the development of tech gadgets this century, it’s Steve Jobs’ brainchild.
While the humble iPod is no more, it changed the game when it was first introduced back in 2001, allowing music fans to wave goodbye to bulky stacks of CDs and jumpy Discmans in favour of a tiny device that carried all of our favourite tunes.
Whilst amusing to think that once upon a time, our biggest challenge was learning how to put music on iPod, as since then, the advent of the Apple Music app has made it quick and easy to stream and download just about anything from our iPhones. But at the time, it was an incredible innovation, with the iPod quickly becoming one of the top selling tech gadgets in the world.
There were several iterations, the most advanced of which being the tiny iPod touch – but before long, the rapid development of smartphones and in particular, Apple’s iPhone, meant that a separate device was no longer required for music, and the iPod slowly but surely disappeared. Apple removed the iPod Nano and Shuffle from its stores back in 2017, while the last remaining iPod model – the Touch – was discontinued earlier this year.
The Flip Video Camera
Once upon a time, the idea of having a video camera integrated into our mobile phones would have been inconceivable – but in 2006, the Flip video camera paved the way for it to become a reality and today, we simply couldn’t live without Facetime, WhatsApp video and filming Instagram Stories.
This all-digital video camera was proof that the bulky video cameras that came before it were on their way out, and gone were the tapes and batteries required in order for them to function. The tiny Flip made it possible to shoot high-quality video using just a lightweight, pocket-sized device in just a click of a button, and was the stepping stone between more traditional camcorders and high-end video phones as we know them today.
The Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo brand had been slowly falling out of favour in the early 2000s as competitors like PlayStation began to eclipse it in terms of technological advances and new launches – but in 2006, that all changed when Nintendo brought the innovative Wii to market.
This intelligent, interactive gaming system quickly shot to the top of every Christmas list in the country thanks to its clever gyroscope-based controls and family-friendly games, allowing friends to play together from the comfort of their living rooms while in some cases, getting a good workout while doing so.
The Amazon Kindle
When the original model was brought to market in 2007, the Amazon Kindle revolutionised the way readers got their fix, allowing them to download an unlimited number of eBooks to one slim device and read on the go. Particularly handy for travel, it meant that it was no longer necessary to tote hefty hardbacks or numerous paperbacks in suitcases and hand luggage, and became hailed as the ultimate weight-saving solution for air travel in particular.
Today, the Kindle remains immensely popular, particularly with an environmentally conscious crowd – and it’s now hard to imagine a time without it.
The Amazon Alexa
Virtual home assistants have become big news over recent years, and the Amazon Alexa, based on a Polish speech synthesiser Ivona, made waves when it was first launched back in 2013. Bringing a new level of convenience into our homes, its hands-free, voice-activated technology has made it possible to play music, check the weather and search Google from anywhere in the home with just a simple voice command, and of late, we’ve seen a host of other virtual home assistants come to market in a bid to compete.
This clever cloud-based service has been hailed by many as a modern miracle, and has brought a new level of convenience and accessibility – two of the most highly-sought advantages we seek in 2022 – to modern life.
