“If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG.” – Bill Gates
To say that technology is advancing at a rapid pace is an absolute understatement. Anyone familiar with Moore’s law knows that our computing power essentially doubles every two years, as engineers find ways to squeeze more and more transistors onto circuits. For over 50 years the concepts presented in this law have helped digital electronics to advance at an almost exponential rate. These advances in technology have been profound, but putting this advancement into perspective can be a challenge sometimes.
It’s amazing to think that the
Apollo Guidance Computer, which was responsible for guiding our astronauts to the moon, had the computing power of a modern digital watch. The AGC had an utterly miniscule amount of memory (2k) and storage (32k), a sluggish clock speed (1.024MHz), and software capable of multi-tasking a mere 8 jobs at a time. In essence, computers made today are thousands of times more powerful, but processing speed hasn’t been the only advancement.
To me, the most amazing advancements involve the size of these devices. In 1981 the world’s first portable computer debuted, the Osborne 1. It had a 5 inch screen, and weighed about 25 pounds. Not exactly the most mobile of devices, but still it was an impressive piece of hardware for 1981. As the years went on, engineers found ways to continue to shrink the size of computers, while continuing to increase their capabilities.
Today we have devices like the iPhone, which weigh just a few ounces yet carry with them the kind of computing power that would run laps around computers made just a few years ago. But for those of you who feel that devices like the iPhone are too “bulky,” look no further. Soon, computers will be paper thin, ultra-portable devices. When this type of technology becomes mainstream within the next 5 to 10 years, just imagine the impact this will have on business and social media. Staying connected on the go will be almost effortless. To be sure, we are living in the golden age of portable computing.
