This publish is a part of our 10 12 months Celebration. Keep tuned each month for enjoyable posts, like this one, contests and extra!
It is laborious to imagine that 2013 is already right here. It looks like solely yesterday that the MP3 participant made its debut and Napster took the world by storm. But it surely wasn’t yesterday — it was greater than a decade in the past.
At present, we’re glued to our smartphones, social media accounts, streaming video, and tablets. Data is — actually — at our fingertips 24/7. We’re capable of take pleasure in at present’s media tendencies as a result of 10 years in the past, a number of the prime tech minds determined to construct some cool innovations — and people somebodies deserve large excessive fives.
As a part of our tenth birthday we’re looking again at what the world seemed like in 2003 when our firm was based. Listed below are a number of the issues folks had been speaking about in 2003.
1. Facemash
In October 2003, a younger faculty pupil created a photo-based social community out of his dorm room. In its first few hours on-line, that community attracted a whole lot of holiday makers and tens of hundreds of pageviews. The location was shut down after a number of days by the school’s administration as a consequence of breach of safety, copyright violations, and privateness safety points. However the faculty pupil did not cease there. He stored coding and coding and finally launched what’s now Fb. Ten years later, that dorm room mission is a public firm because the Web’s prime social community, and that younger programmer is now operating one of many world’s strongest companies.
2. Flu Shot
Nicely probably not the flu shot itself, however in 2003 we had been launched to an awesome different to the vaccine. For these of us who may be shot opposed, FluMist, a nasal spray, was accepted by the FDA in June of 2003. FluMist remains to be out there at present, though it’s not advisable for everybody and prices greater than the common shot. Want a dialog starter this flu season? Throw out the enjoyable undeniable fact that this different is 10 years previous and the vaccine itself has been round for over 60 years!
3. The Digicam Cellphone
Consider it or not, 2003 was the 12 months that digicam telephones took off. The pattern wasn’t only a fancy strategy to take images both — they sparked a brand new manner for folks to interact with one another. Time journal means that this expertise invention is as profound because the Web.
‘Just like the Web earlier than them, digicam telephones open up a brand new and surprisingly spontaneous strategy to talk,’ wrote Anita Hamilton for Time journal.
At present, digicam telephones are extra than simply cell telephones. They’re smartphones. You may even movie excessive definition video captures that you could immediately add on-line to share with family and friends.
4. Canon’s Digital Insurgent
Canon’s Digital Insurgent revolutionized the world of on-line pictures. Whereas the DSLR has been round since 2000, the very first Canon DSLR entered the market again in 2003. It was one of many very first to enter the patron market with an entry stage value level of below $1,000. At present’s DSLRs have advanced to characteristic superior performance together with contact screens and video recording.
5. Clever Parking Help
Now virtually normal on virtually all luxurious automobiles, again in 2003, Toyota launched the preliminary model of the Clever Parking Help System (IPAS). The expertise was initially developed for the Japanese market’s hybrid Prius however was quickly after launched to the luxurious Lexus fashions. Vehicles enabled with IPAS provided drivers help in parking their automobile, with an in-dash display and controls, the automotive parks itself with little enter from the driving force. It’s scary to suppose, however at present, with Google’s driverless automotive, this expertise appears virtually dated!
6. Friendster
In case you suppose that Fb was the unique social community, guess once more. In case you suppose MySpace was the unique social community, you are still improper. Consider it or not, the phenomenon began with a platform referred to as Friendster the place customers may share movies, pictures, messages, and feedback with fellow members. In 2003, Google approached Friendster with a buyout supply that was declined. Friendster remains to be round at present as a social gaming platform with hundreds of thousands of registered customers in Asia and Africa.
7. The Xbox
Though it was launched in 2001, 2003 introduced the true buzz with the launch of Xbox Reside, which redefined how folks performed video games collectively on-line by means of high-speed Web. Xbox stay enabled youngsters from all around the world to trash discuss one another with no boundaries. The Xbox product household dominated the market by means of 2005 when its successor, Xbox 360, entered the market. Maintain onto your seats, there’s rumors a few new Xbox debuting later this 12 months.
8. The Roomba
The robotic room cleaner that we all know and love made its debut in 2002 and have become more and more widespread over the 2003 vacation season. Over the past decade the producer, iRobot has ironed out a lot of kinks and launched a spread of characteristic updates together with a scheduler, HEPA filter, recharging dock, and longer battery life. In case you’re feeling adventurous, you may even hack your Roomba to make it draw a Spirograph.
9. Wikipedia
It is laborious to think about the Web with out Wikipedia. However that is precisely what the Web was again in 2001. At present, Wikipedia is likely one of the most beneficial on-line locations with billions of month-to-month pageviews. Thousands and thousands of customers depend on Wikipedia and gas the mission’s momentum by means of open collaboration. In 2003, Wikipedia was out there in 46 languages. By 2004, that quantity had grown by about 4 occasions to 161. There are greater than 35 million registered customers at present.
10. iTunes
The iPod itself debuted in 2001, however in 2003, Apple reworked the music business with the introduction of iTunes. At present the iTunes retailer hosts extra than simply music and gives TV reveals, motion pictures, audiobooks and extra. Additionally, with developments in Apple’s expertise, iTunes is now out there on the iPad, iTouch and iPhone, along with the iPod.
The Full Circle
Did we miss something large from 2003? What applied sciences from the previous decade are you continue to utilizing at present?
