5 luxury tech gadgets that have shaped the century and transformed our lifestyles forever
The world of technology is constantly changing, and throughout the 21st century we have seen some incredible innovations that have forever changed the way we live, socialize and entertain.
A host of exciting new technology devices served as vehicles for the transformation, and while some may have been long forgotten, their influence on today’s lifestyle and the fact that they paved the way for a whole new generation of intelligent electronics should not go unnoticed. underestimated
From the iPod to the Amazon Alexa, here we take a nostalgic look at some of the most beloved tech gadgets that shaped the century and set the ball rolling for the development of the luxury gadgets we know and love today.
The Apple iPod
It perhaps goes without saying that Apple will feature heavily in this list, and understandably so – as if one brand has had the biggest impact on the development of technological devices this century, it’s Steve Jobs’ brainchild.
While the humble iPod is no more, it changed the game when it was first introduced in 2001, allowing music fans to wave goodbye to bulky stacks of CDs and bouncy Discmans in favor of a small device that carried all our favorite songs.
Although it was amusing to think that once upon a time our biggest challenge was learning how to put music on iPod, since then the advent of the Apple Music app has made it quick and easy to play just about anything from our iPhones to stream and download. But at the time it was an incredible innovation, with the iPod quickly becoming one of the best-selling technology devices in the world.
There were several iterations, the most advanced of which was the tiny iPod touch – but before long the rapid development of smartphones and especially Apple’s iPhone meant that a separate device was no longer needed for music, and the iPod slowly probably disappear. Apple removed the iPod Nano and Shuffle from its stores 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 unthinkable – but in 2006, the Flip video camera paved the way for it to become a reality and today we simply cannot live without Facetime. Whatsapp video and Instagram stories filming.
This all-digital camcorder was proof that the bulky camcorders that came before it were on their way out, and gone were the straps and batteries needed to keep them functioning. The tiny Flip made it possible to shoot high-quality video with just a lightweight, pocket-sized device at the click of a button, and was the stepping stone between more traditional video cameras and high-end video phones as we know them today .
The Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo brand slowly fell out of favor in the early 2000s as rivals such as Playstation began to eclipse it in terms of technological advancements and new launches – but in 2006 that all changed when Nintendo launched the innovative Wii. 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 gameplay, allowing friends to play together from the comfort of their living rooms while, in some cases, getting a good workout while you do it.
The Amazon Kindle
When the original model was launched in 2007, the Amazon Kindle revolutionized the way readers got their fix, allowing them to download an unlimited number of e-books to one slim device download and read on the go. Especially handy for travel, it meant there was no longer a need to carry bulky hard straps or numerous soft straps in suitcases and hand luggage, and was considered the ultimate weight-saving solution for air travel in particular.
Today, the Kindle remains hugely popular, especially among 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 in recent years, and the Amazon Alexa, based on a Polish speech synthesizer Ivona, made headlines when it was first introduced in 2013. Bringing a new level of convenience to 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 the lately we’ve seen a host of other virtual home assistants hit the market in a bid to compete.
Considered by many to be a modern miracle, this smart cloud-based service has brought a new level of convenience and accessibility—two of the most sought-after benefits we’re looking for in 2022—to modern life.
