Gadget
timeline

From the iPhone Duo back to the Kodak camera: the landmark gadgets that shaped modern technology, newest first.

1 1 2 1 1 3 4 11 11 12 13 17 9

Milestones per decade. Tap a bar to jump there.

2020s

9 milestones

  1. iPhone Duo

    Apple's dual-screen foldable iPhone debuts with ultra-thin form factor and adaptive multitasking.

  2. NVIDIA DGX Spark

    Personal desktop AI supercomputer bringing enterprise-grade LLM acceleration to local workstations.

  3. Huawei Mate XT

    The world's first commercial tri-fold smartphone.

  4. Apple Vision Pro

    Apple's mixed-reality spatial computing headset goes on sale.

  5. Steam Deck

    Valve brings PC gaming libraries to a handheld, igniting the handheld PC gaming boom.

  6. Apple AirTag

    Ultra-Wideband precision tracking turns lost item finding into a global network.

  7. Apple M1 Mac

    Apple moves the Mac from Intel to its own ARM-based chips.

  8. Oculus Quest 2

    Untethered standalone VR headset brings wireless virtual reality to millions.

  9. Microsoft Surface Duo

    A dual-screen Android phone that opens like a book.

2010s

17 milestones

  1. Samsung Galaxy Fold

    Samsung's first foldable goes on sale after a delayed launch.

  2. GaN Fast Charger

    Gallium Nitride technology shrinks high-wattage power bricks to pocket size.

  3. Royole FlexPai

    The first commercially available foldable phone.

  4. Nintendo Switch

    A console that works on the TV and in your hands.

  5. Apple AirPods

    True wireless earbuds redefine portable personal audio.

  6. Oculus Rift

    The first major consumer VR headset ships.

  7. Apple Watch

    Apple's first wearable goes on sale.

  8. Amazon Echo

    The first mainstream smart speaker, introducing Alexa.

  9. Google Glass

    An early head-mounted display with a camera and voice control.

  10. Chromecast

    A $35 dongle that casts phone content to any TV.

  11. DJI Phantom

    Brings ready-to-fly GPS-stabilized aerial drone photography to consumers.

  12. Raspberry Pi

    A $35 credit-card-sized computer for learning and tinkering.

  13. Nest thermostat

    A learning thermostat that makes the smart home mainstream.

  14. Nintendo 3DS

    A handheld that shows 3D without glasses.

  15. Google Cr-48

    The unbranded pilot laptop that debuts Chrome OS and the cloud-first Chromebook idea.

  16. Microsoft Kinect

    Controller-free motion sensing for the Xbox 360.

  17. iPad

    Apple's tablet goes on sale in the US.

2000s

13 milestones

  1. Fitbit

    A clip-on tracker kicks off the wearable fitness boom.

  2. First Android phone

    The HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) runs Google's Android.

  3. Amazon Kindle

    E-ink reader sells out in hours.

  4. Asus Eee PC

    Kicks off the netbook craze with a cheap, tiny Linux laptop.

  5. iPhone

    Apple's touchscreen phone defines the modern smartphone.

  6. Nintendo Wii

    Motion controls bring gaming to non-gamers.

  7. GoPro

    A wearable action camera that spawns a genre.

  8. Motorola RAZR

    The ultra-thin flip phone becomes a fashion icon.

  9. Nintendo DS

    Dual-screen touchscreen gaming handheld sells over 154 million units.

  10. iRobot Roomba

    The first mass-market autonomous robotic vacuum for the home.

  11. iPod

    “1,000 songs in your pocket.”

  12. USB Flash Drive

    Thumb drives replace floppy disks with durable pocket storage.

  13. Sharp J-SH04

    The first commercial camera phone, launched in Japan.

1990s

12 milestones

  1. BlackBerry

    The pocket email device that puts the inbox in your hand.

  2. TiVo

    The first mainstream digital video recorder lets viewers pause live TV.

  3. Sony Aibo

    A consumer robot dog that learns and responds to its owner.

  4. NVIDIA GeForce 256

    The world's first GPU, transforming 3D graphics and modern visual computing.

  5. MPMan F10

    One of the first portable MP3 players, holding about 9 songs.

  6. PalmPilot

    The pocket organizer that made handheld computing practical.

  7. Motorola StarTAC

    The first clamshell mobile phone.

  8. DVD player

    Digital video discs replace the VHS tape.

  9. Tamagotchi

    Bandai's virtual pet becomes a worldwide craze.

  10. Casio QV-10

    The first consumer digital camera with a built-in LCD screen.

  11. PlayStation

    Sony's CD-based console launches in Japan.

  12. IBM Simon

    The first smartphone: a touchscreen phone with email, calendar and apps, sold by BellSouth.

1980s

11 milestones

  1. Magellan NAV 1000

    The first handheld GPS receiver for consumers.

  2. Game Boy

    Nintendo's handheld sells over 118 million units with its successor.

  3. Toshiba T1100

    An early mass-market laptop that sets the template for the category.

  4. Sony Discman (D-50)

    The first portable CD player makes digital audio truly mobile.

  5. Apple Macintosh

    Brings the mouse and graphical interface to a mass audience.

  6. Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

    The first commercial handheld cellphone costs about $3,995.

  7. Nintendo NES / Famicom

    Revives the video game industry and establishes modern console gaming.

  8. GRiD Compass

    The first clamshell laptop, used by NASA on the Space Shuttle.

  9. Compact Disc

    The first CD players go on sale in Japan.

  10. IBM PC

    IBM's personal computer sets the standard nearly every PC still follows.

  11. Osborne 1

    The first commercially successful portable computer.

1970s

11 milestones

  1. Sony Walkman

    Portable cassette player makes music personal and mobile.

  2. Speak & Spell

    Texas Instruments' toy brings single-chip speech synthesis to children.

  3. Atari 2600

    Cartridge-based console that brings arcade games into living rooms.

  4. Apple II

    One of the first mass-market personal computers, with color graphics.

  5. VHS

    JVC's format wins the home video format war.

  6. Sony Betamax

    The first home VCR cassette format lets people record TV.

  7. Altair 8800

    This kit computer sparks the personal computer revolution and the founding of Microsoft.

  8. Pocket scientific calculator

    The HP-35 replaces the slide rule for a generation of engineers.

  9. Magnavox Odyssey

    The first home video game console arrives, months before Atari's Pong arcade game.

  10. Hamilton Pulsar

    The first digital watch, with a glowing red LED display.

  11. Polaroid SX-70

    A folding SLR that ejects self-developing color prints.

1960s

4 milestones

  1. Sony Portapak

    The first portable video recorder lets individuals shoot video.

  2. Philips Compact Cassette

    The small tape format that makes recorded audio portable and shareable.

  3. Kodak Instamatic

    Drop-in film cartridges make snapshots foolproof.

  4. Sony TV8-301

    The first all-transistor portable TV.

1950s

3 milestones

  1. Zenith Space Command

    The first wireless TV remote, a clicking ultrasonic wand.

  2. Regency TR-1

    The first commercial transistor radio fits in a pocket.

  3. Transistor hearing aids

    Transistors shrink hearing aids to wearable size.

1940s

1 milestone

  1. Polaroid Land Camera

    The first instant camera delivers a finished print in about a minute.

1930s

1 milestone

  1. RCA television at the World's Fair

    RCA's TV sets debut to the public at the New York World's Fair.

1920s

2 milestones

  1. First television demonstration

    John Logie Baird shows the first working television system in London.

  2. Home radio receivers

    Radio broadcasting arrives and the wireless set becomes the household centerpiece.

1900s

1 milestone

  1. Kodak Brownie

    The $1 box camera that really brings photography to everyone.

1880s

1 milestone

  1. Kodak camera

    George Eastman's box camera brings photography to everyone: “You press the button, we do the rest.”