By: Joshua Choe, Staff Writer
Technology is the fundamental base upon which society and civilization is built on, giving us leeway access to work more efficiently or have a source of entertainment. From the simple “technology” of a sharpened rock used as a knife in the prehistoric ages to the first computer in 1943, it’s undeniable that tech has had a big boom. In the modern ages, we see virtual tech booming, but the biggest changes took place in the 2000’s, nearly two decades ago.
Android, one the world’s most successful mobile device and OS (meaning “operating system”) company was launched in 2003 by founders, Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. Android didn’t have a great start, almost going bankrupt when they began. With Google’s acquisition of Android, though, Android was eventually able to turn things around and develop new plans for a smartphone. With iPhone’s launch in 2007, Android was stumped again, as their phone did not include a touchscreen. However with a new design for a touchscreen smartphone being created and released in 2008, Android was able to have a successful launch that runs well to this day. Samsung bases their phones off of this OS and they are the current lead in overall phone sales. Like the iPhone created later on, Android phones still remain relevant to this day.
Facebook, one of most significant & successful social networking applications and websites, was launched in 2004 by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. With Facebook, the way that messaging online was revolutionized, along with how people were able to share parts of their daily lives, similar to how YouTube did. Expanding into the modern day, Facebook now owns WhatsApp and Instagram. Both apps remain very popular in their respective markets with WhatsApp dominating the messaging market and Instagram being the third most popular social media platform.
YouTube, arguably the biggest and most successful social networking application and website, was launched in 2005 by the three founders: Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen. As the world’s first free video sharing platform, YouTube brought millions of users onto it’s website and application, enabling the sharing of millions and millions of hours of content. Moments that were previously personal to a video camera could now be uploaded online. Evolving over time, YouTube is now what it is now—millions of content creators working to deliver entertaining content as well as educational and informative content for everyone. From creators for the most broad audience to the most niche of audiences, there is a place for everyone on YouTube. YouTube continues to expand today, with 2 billion users worldwide.
Amongst all these more practical and work based gadgets and technologies coming into place, the Wii also came along in 2007. Found in many households around the U.S. even now, this little gaming system defined the movement based games that PlayStation and Xbox later adapted into their own consoles with the older-generation systems. Popular among young and old people and inclusive to all genders, the Wii kicked off a new age of entertainment for everyone. Some memorable Wii game titles are Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit, Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, and Just Dance. Eventually surpassed in sales by the newer Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the Wii is still found in households around the US in a broken or unused state.
The iPhone was first introduced by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, on June 29, 2007. This fateful day introduced a new era of technology that brought everything work based or entertainment based together, breaking barriers between tech. Though it was not the first smartphone, to which credit goes to IBM for the creation of Simon Personal Communicator (SPC), the iPhone was able to bring the Internet onto its touch screen, introducing a whole new set of possibilities for work or entertainment around, along with the built in apps included. The camera app is a notable built in app, enabling everyone who owned this phone to be able to take pictures whenever they pleased. Along with Internet capabilities, Apple was able to create an App Store to give access to even more personalization or efficiency abilities, revolutionizing the way that software was created and distributed. Despite being outnumbered in sales by Android smartphones, the iPhone line still runs strong today, managing to create a higher revenue, further empowering Apple. 14 models with variations have been released to date, with the iPhone 12 Pro Max being the latest device.
As technology continues to evolve, we find that the future is not so far away. Today’s most futuristic gadgets or inventions will definitely be something to be nostalgic for in as little as a few decades.
