Technology Progression in the 2000's

By Ahri_J

  • Sony releases the PlayStation 2

    Sony releases the PlayStation 2
    The PlayStation 2 (PS2) represents a significant change in the concept of game consoles. The PS2 allowed for DVDs to be played as well as game disks, making it more of an entertainment console than a game console. Many consumers bought the PS2 for its DVD player alone, since the PS2 was cheaper than stand-alone DVD players. In turn, this greatly increased consumer adoption of the DVD format.

  • USB Flash Drive

    USB Flash Drive
    USB Flash drives are introduced. They could be used for data storage and in the backing up and transferring of files between various devices. They were faster and had greater data capacity than earlier storage media. Drives for floppy disks and optical discs faded in popularity for desktop PCs and laptops in favor of USB ports after flash drives were introduced.
    Invented by: Dov Moran and his company, M-Systems. IBM purchased the USB flash drives from M-Systems and sold them in late 2000.

  • First camera phone introduced

    First camera phone introduced
    Japan's SoftBank introduces the first camera phone, the J-Phone J-SH04; a Sharp-manufactured digital phone with an integrated camera. Photos could be shared wirelessly. The J-Phone line would quickly expand, releasing a flip-phone version just a month later. Cameras would become a significant part of most phones within a year, and several countries have even passed laws regulating their use.
    Invented by: Philippe Kahn

  • Microsoft enters gaming arena with Xbox

    Microsoft enters gaming arena with Xbox
    In 1998, members of Microsoft's multi-media DirectX team reconfigured old Dell laptops to create a Window-based video game console. In 2002, Microsoft launched Xbox Live, an online service that allowed competitive gameplay and chat. The Xbox was hailed for its high-quality graphics.
    The Xbox game console, released by Microsoft on Nov. 14, 2001, did not have a single inventor but was rather developed by an internal development team.

  • iTunes is released

    iTunes is released
    Apple’s iTunes is released. It was based on Bill Kincaid’s SoundJam MP software, the rights to which Apple purchased. Initially, iTunes was only supported on the Mac operating system and functioned as a media player and media management tool. iTunes allowed users to record music from CDs, bring it into iTunes, mix it with other songs and then burn a custom CD. When the Apple iTunes music store was launched in 2003, it transformed music distribution and the entire music industry.