Fun Technology Facts from the Last 20 Years

As we celebrate our 20^th anniversary here at Mantralogix, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at how much technology has changed in the last 20 years. In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” Technology seems to evolve at the speed of light, and it’s sometimes worth a short walk down memory lane to realize how far we’ve come.

Focusing on the last 20 years, there have been so many significant advancements in technology that it’s difficult to single out individual events, but here are a few worth mentioning:

1996

• Kerry Mann founds Mantralogix (and is President today).
• Palm Pilot is introduced, with the ability to sync with a PC or Mac (with a cable).
• The Google search engine is developed at Stanford University.
• Google: This Mountain View, CA company went from being a silly-named search engine to a conglomerate it is today with a multitude of services including email, photo-sharing, smartphone development, computing, mobile operating systems development, navigational mapping, and so much more.

1997

• RealVideo is released by RealNetworks.

1998

• Apple introduces the iMac with a 233Mhz processor, 4GB hard drive, and 32MB RAM.

1999

• Wi-Fi becomes a standard and begins to proliferate among internet users.
• Friendster, the first social networking site, is launched.
• First HDTV is created.
• USB drives effectively replace the floppy disk.

2000

• Play Station 2 released first camera phone – the Sony-built J-Phone.
• The government started allowing civilian use of the military’s advanced GPS signal.

2001

• Apple releases Mac OS X operating system.
• Microsoft unveils Windows XP, their redesigned OS and GUI.

2002

• Microsoft releases the .net framework, taking its place as the future of Microsoft’s development strategy.

2003

• AMD’s 64-bit processor, the Athlon 64, hits the consumer market.

2004

• Mozilla Firefox browser is released, competing with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
• Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites, is launched.

2005

• YouTube is founded as a video sharing service.
• Google acquires Android, the mobile phone OS based on Linux.

2006

• Apple introduces the MacBook Pro.
• Nintendo Wii game system is new on the consumer market.
• Twitter took social networking (and stalking) to a whole new level—you basically tell people what you’re doing and what you’re thinking 24/7.

2007

• Amazon releases their eBook reader, the Kindle.
• The original smartphone first hit stores on June 29, 2007 and since then Apple has sold more than 30 million iPhones.

2008

• Steve Jobs presents the release of the MacBook Air, an ultra-thin laptop with solid-state drive.

2009

• Windows 7 is launched by Microsoft.

2010

• iPad – Apple’s unique touchpad computer – is released, changing the way consumers and businesses alike view technology and access media.

2011

• Google releases their laptop running the Chrome OS, the Chrome book.

2012

• Facebook achieves their milestone of 1 billion users.
• Raspberry Pi computer is produced in the UK aimed at hobbyists and students, with millions of the credit-card-sized computers sold since that date.

2013

• Remarkable advances in 3D printing happen, such as the printing of the first functioning gun.
• Wearable technology, like Google Glass, is released.

2014

• Companies start experimenting with self-driving cars.

2015

• The Apple Watch hits the market to instant success.
• Microsoft releases Windows 10.
• Drones become prolific.
• Smart homes let you control TVs, thermostats, and refrigerators from outside the home.

2016

• We can only imagine!

Mantralogix – Helping Business Keep Pace with Technology

What will the next technology that impacts your business be? We don’t know yet, but we know that we at Mantralogix will be ready to help you choose the right new technology to meet your needs. We provide solutions for businesses across diverse industries and keep abreast of changes in technology that provide benefits to our customers.

Find out how the Mantralogix Advantage can be your competitive advantage. For us it’s personal, not just business. Contact us for more.

Miss our MantraVision event? Check out the video highlights here.