shots 159: H is for HARDWARE… & other Tech

Sony Sportsman Walkman (1988)

The original Walkman was introduced in 1979 and had such an impact that in 1983 the word itself found a place in the Oxford English Dictionary. But the Sportsman was the one everyone wanted. Actually released in 1988, it’s included here because it became the must-have item of the 90s – if you already had a Tamagotchi, that is.

The Sportsman was the first cool personal music device that clashed with your neon socks so beautifully well. And it was waterproof, which meant dancing in the shower became a 1990s meme. Bass boost, solar-powered alarm clock… oh yes. Innovation at its most pointless, yet best.

The World Wide Web (1990)

Twenty-five years ago, everything changed. Tim Berners-Lee and collaborators created all the tools necessary for a working Web. A year later they were made public and the Web went World Wide. Documents became connected and so did we… and we’ve never looked back. Why would we?

Sky (1990)

Actually launched in 1989, but a merger with BSB in 1990 was a rebirth for the struggling baby broadcaster, helping it to grow from four channels to lots and lots. Sky brought choice to the nation’s TV watchers and, to the exploring teenager, Babestation. Sky completely changed the advertising industry and the finances behind it. They were a company that kept on innovating until Sky+… and then they stopped. I’m still waiting. I’m completely confused about my Sky bundle costs and inclusions, but that’s a small niggle and a reasonable trade-off for what the company has done over the last 25 years.

Windows 95 (er, 1995)

This release of the Windows operating system made computing accessible. It drove the PC industry into a frenzy and Bill Gates took a huge step towards putting a computer into every home.

Google (1996)

If the World Wide Web is the fabric, then Google has established itself as the seamstress. As various services and search engines came and went, Google delivered simplicity and stayed. The simple will always displace the complex.

Hotmail (1996)

You know a digital service has broken through to the next level when the only username you can get is nothing like your name and includes random numbers. Hotmail took email to the world.

Netflix/4G (1997/2012)

It’s come a long way from its beginnings as a traditional DVD rental business to deliver content you want to consume when you want to consume it. Now it trades in social kudos in the form of Daredevil, Peaky Blinders and Orange Is The New Black, all streamed to you wherever you are – with a little help from 4G. (Except when you’re on a plane, which is a little annoying. Come on Netflix, let me go offline too!)

IBM Deep Blue (1997)

A monumental moment in history when a computer beat the world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Computer beats man. Enough said.

Nokia phone 7110 (1999)

Let’s be honest, everyone wanted to be Neo in The Matrix. Mostly because he had that amazingly cool slider phone with the cover that magically sprang open. So cool. The film used an adapted earlier model, the 8110 (1996), but Nokia released a spring loaded model, the 7110, in 1999, finally making our Neo fantasies come true. It was also the first WAP mobile phone, starting all of us on our journey to always-connected land. Just as importantly, Nokia also brought us Snake, which helped fill the time on trains until Facebook, Twitter and Instagram came along.

Facebook (2004)

You know something has been overwhelmingly successful when 1) both you and your mum are using it and 2) a company that’s just over 10 years old is buying other companies for $19 billion.

iPhone/the App Store (2007/2008)

Let’s be honest. WAP was an experience best forgotten. Thankfully, along came a phone that made everything so simple – and so beautiful. The fact that it wasn’t the best device for making calls seemed irrelevant because, a year after the phone was launched, along came the App Store to make everything all right.

It meant you could play Sega Super Monkey Ball on your phone, which was better than speaking to your parents (who couldn’t be heard if you did try to call them anyway). The iPhone led us to a complete change in advertising attitude – moving from pure push advertising to utility and bidirectional conversation through the world of apps.

Spotify (2008)

A real innovation that meant I could take down my IKEA CD rack and say goodbye to those silly plastic CD cases that always seemed to get underfoot, crack and break.

Instagram (2010)

Within five years it has become the number one social network on the planet, and now, with the recent addition of the Ads API, it’s going to be the place where brands can play.