CNET, The Verge, Gizmodo and Time are among the sites with look-backs on tech in the 2010s.
I’ll have more on those in a minute, but when I look back at the 2010s, what think about is how tech fell from grace. In prior decades and even the first part of this decade people looked at tech as an amazing positive force. That’s still true but many of us think about the downsides such as privacy and security problems, foreign interference with our elections, overuse of technology and rudeness and anger in social media. Even in the first half of this decade — when MySpace was all the rage, there were concerns about risks to children from online predators. The predator risk turned out to be exaggerated but we have witnessed a rise in cyberbullying and other issues from social media and tech in general.
On the positive side, I would declare the 2010s the decade of the smart home and smart car, with numerous “internet of things” gadgets that light our paths, entertain us and help us get from place to place.
CNET’s Decade in Review is an extensive look at much of what happened in the past 10 years.
The Verge looks at 100 gadgets of the decade.
And Time declares its list of the 10 Best Gadgets of the 2010s.
Time picked the Apple iPad and the Tesla Model S as its first two products. I would agree with both though I would also add the Tesla Model 3 and the Chevy Bolt as more affordable electric cars that grew the industry.
The Verge included Google Glass and Snapchat’s Snap Spectacles on its list of 100 products, but neither has had much impact. I would have focused on virtual reality devices and augmented reality, though AR is still in its infancy.
As part of its extensive coverage, CNET documented its important apps of the decade, begining with Instagram, but also including Twitter, Facebook and Spotify, all of which launched their smart phone apps early in the 2010s.
Gizmodo Most Innovative Gadgets of the Decade, included the iPhone 4 with its “radically different design,” along with the Nest Thermostat and the Philips Hue light bulb. I wouldn’t put the Philips Hue on my list, but it does symbolize the rise of the smart home and the many gadgets that the now power many of our homes.