Technology Throwbacks

Today we are taking a trip down memory lane. We are going to take a look at some remarkable technological inventions that shook the world in the late 1900s. We are also going to dive deeper into gadgets that made brief appearances in the early 2000s.

I want us to view today’s blog as a tribute to gadgets and technological trends that were desired by older generations but has been replaced since by modern technology.

In today’s fast paced world, we are constantly bombarded with the latest and greatest innovations. It’s almost impossible to stay up to date with the latest technology trends because the tech world is evolving rapidly, and it’s only heading in one direction; forward. Therefore, I want to take the time to give praise to the gadgets that have been dubbed “outdated” and “irrelevant” as we enter a new century.

 

1. Floppy disk:

Do you remember these thin little squares?

In the 1980s, floppy disks were used mainly for storing and loading computer data. The 1.44MB floppy diskettes were most popular in the 1990s but were replaced by CDs and USB’s in the early 2000s.

2. PowerBook 100:

The world was introduced to the PowerBook 100 for the first time in 1991 in Las Vegas at the COMDEX computer expo. The public fell in love with the PowerBook 100. It was more affordable than some other models but generated more than $1 billion in revenue within the first year of its release.

In 2005 the PowerBook 100 was dubbed “the greatest gadget of all time” by the American magazine, Mobile PC and in 2006 PC World claimed that the PowerBook 100 was the tenth-greatest PC of all time.

 

3. The Newton:

In the 1990’s the Newton was astonishing. It was released in 1993 and was the first hand held computerized device. It wasn’t much more than an early digitalized assistant. It took notes, managed your calendars and had the ability to store contact details.

The thinking that went into designing the Newton is still relevant and resonates with devices that we use today.

The Newton had a very short lifespan. It was discontinued in 1998. Despite its short life, there was a museum dedicated to this innovative gadget.

4. iPods:

When the first pocket-sized portable music-player was released in October 2001, it’s safe to say that everyone wanted to get their hands on one.

The ability to stream music from our mobile devices has overwritten the necessity for devices like iPods. The iPod touch is still in production, but it is safe to say that it’s not nearly as popular as it’s predecessors.

 

5. Clippie the paperclip:

In the late 1990’s Clippie, the little eager paperclip was born. Clippie was designed to make life easier for the earliest Microsoft Office users. It politely offered hints for using Microsoft office.

This little office assistant was demoted in Office XP. Office XP was easy enough to use without the help of the helpful little Clippie, and his life came to a sudden end, leaving Microsoft desktops desolate.

The new simplicity of Office XP made Clippie obsolete, yet we will always miss the little animated paperclip that popped up on our desktops at all times.

I enjoyed taking the dusty box full of old technological inventions out of storage today. Dusting them off individually was fun, wasn’t it?

Now it’s time to put them back into storage again, so as we enter a new era, we might be packing away old gadgets for the last time. It’s only a matter of time before they’ll be forgotten altogether.

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