A Tech-ade in Review
A look back from then to now, a decade in our digital world
Moores Law means a decade is a long time in tech. Whole empires are born, broken, and dissolved. The last 10 years has marked a revolution in AI, Cloud computing, and nanoscale components. What better time to Look back at the tech that made the decade in hardware, social and software.
Smart Phones ☎️
We started the decade with phones with chins to make Bruce Forsyth jealous, and chiselled away at them until OLED screens came along allowing screens to ooze over the edge of your display and foldables. With more power, biometrics and faster connectivity, the smart phone has replaced the laptop as the device of choice for consumer shopping, browsing and social.
2010 / 2019
iPhone 4 / iPhone 11
RAM 512MB / 4GB
Resolution 960 x 640 / 1792x828
Camera 5MP / 12MP
RIP
Blackberry, Windows Phone
TVs 📺
High Definition displays existed before the decade began, but flat screen TV’s were still boxy cuboids, rather than the razer thin devices you see today. We have seen a quadruple of resolution to 4K, and more recently folding displays that disappear before the eye. With internet connected smart TVs, streaming services like Netflix(born 1998, streaming since 2007) explode in popularity, and create their own award winning content. In just 10 short years, TVs have gone from a dumb box with a bunch of cables attached to your DVD player, Game Console, Roku Box etc, to the only device you need in your living room, wirelessly streaming everything you could ever need.
RIP
Standard Definition
Social Media 🔈
One of the most divisive technologies of the decade, social media has boomed, at the cost of users privacy. Advertisers have made a fortune in revenues, while Mark Zuckerberg had to appear in court to justify his negligence in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Expect even more growth in Social, as it has become the primary way for Gen-Z to get their news and purchase goods.
2010 / 2019
Facebook 500 million users / 2.45 billion users
Twitter 100 million users / 330 million users
Instagram 1 million users / 1 billion users
RIP
Myspace, Bebo, Google+
Electric Cars 🚙
Electric cars has steadily increased in popularity in the decade, with countries like Norway reaching 10% penetration. Automation has made huge strides but not reached a comfortable level of reliability to see it being passed into law. Battery improvements have doubled range from 100 to 200 miles before charging. All of this points to the next decade of electric cars being smarter, safer and more reliable, with the only blocker for mass adoption being price.
Gaming 🎮
Computing power increases can be seen best in 3D gaming, one of the most resource intensive consumer technologies. We started the decade with the birth of HD gaming at home, and end with 4k gaming streaming live from the cloud. The streaming revolution is upon us, and Google, Microsoft, Steam and NVidia are all in on the action. Nintendo has huge success this decade by utilising inclusivity and bringing casual gamers into the fold, a demographic that Apple and Hatch have been playing with subscription models for.
RIP
Gametrailers.com, Telltale Games
Babies of the 2010s 👶
Since the start of the 10s, there are entire categories that didn’t exist. Here is a nod to the companies that were born and broke the mould in under a decade.
Uber (2011)
To think you couldn’t just get in a strangers car 10 years ago without an app!
Stripe (2011)
Stripe disrupted the way online payments were taken. They are the defacto choice now.
TikTok (2016)
The youngster of Social Networks, most associated with Gen-Z.
Slack (2013)
The default for workplace communications, reducing email inbox clutter globally.
That wraps up a techy look at 2010–2019. What big innovations would you have liked to have seen in the list? What are you expecting to see in the next decade?
ABC: Always Be Clappin’ 👏 👏 👏
