Technology throughout the 2000s
Bowling Green, KY (April 20, 2021) - The 2000s was an amazing decade for technology and forever established broadband as a necessity. There were approximately 21 million broadband users worldwide, and the number continued to increase year over year as new users signed up and dial-up internet users were migrating over to broadband service.
The years 2000-2003 gave us camera phones, USB flash drives, Bluetooth, iPods, the video gaming revolution, LinkedIn, and more. We will talk about a few of these below.
These days, camera phones are just part of our everyday apparel, but they were brand new in the year 2000. The addition of Bluetooth technology made this possible, allowing Sharp to be the first company to introduce a camera phone to the U.S. market.
USB technology was around earlier, but it was not until the year 2000 that the USB flash drive was available in the U.S., allowing ease of transferring information from one device to the next. Today, devices such as cell phones, digital cameras, and printers still use this technology.
The iPod was Apple’s first attempt to deliver music to the consumer. It is hard to believe, but in 2001, Apple was concentrating on the Mac Computer and barely breaking even financially. It is reported that the iPod’s visuals and the consumer experience were just as important as the technology being offered. Today we know how successful this combination has been for Apple and how the iPod was the beginning technology for the iPhone.
A plethora of technology was released in the 2000s, mainly due to being able to transfer information and images from one device to another. It was the foundation of changing the way we behave today. Next we will explore new technology for the middle years of the decade.
About the Author: Pam Waggoner is a Community Technology Advisor for Connected Nation. She oordinates and manages the activities of planning teams in support of Connected Nation’s Connected Community Engagement Program and the development of community-specific community team creation, data gathering, and technology action planning.