tech history
The Hidden Phenomenon That Could Ruin Your Old Discs
CDs and DVDs were sold to consumers as these virtually indestructible platters, but the truth, as exemplified by the “disc rot” phenomenon, is more complicated.
Why Didn’t the Dream of a Laptop Upgrade Slot Take Off?
With PCMCIA (also known as PC Card), it was easy to upgrade our old laptops. Now, though, the tech has been relegated to a depressing bureaucratic fate.
Apple's Failed Camera Cost $750 and Could Only Take 8 Pictures
The story of the Apple QuickTake 100, a primitive early digital camera that had Apple’s name on the front but another company’s technology buried inside.
The Story of FMX, a Wannabe Radio Standard That Was Killed in a Very Public Way
Attempts to improve AM and FM radio technologies tend to land with a thud—a thud no harder felt than with the FMX standard, circa 1989.
Help: Does Anyone Know the Story Behind This Giant Machine? (Updates!)
This photo looks like an amazing piece of computer history. But nobody’s sure where it came from, not even the photo company that controls its rights.
Pets.com Was Decades Ahead of Its Time
If someone were to create an online store like Pets.com today, it probably would’ve worked. So why did it fail miserably back in 2000? A few reasons.
This Photo Shows How Computer Chips Were Made in 1975
Kickstarting the computer revolution involved using light to etch transistors in silicon.
Before There Was Netflix, Hong Kong Had the First On-Demand Streaming Service
In 1998, a Hong Kong telecom firm spent $1.5 billion trying to make video-on-demand happen. iTV was so ahead of its time that it beat Netflix’s DVD service.
From Bankruptcies to Backstabbing, the Story of Chuck E. Cheese Has It All
An Atari founder came up with the Chuck E. Cheese concept to promote Atari games, and it only got weirder from there.
Packard Bell Was the King of 90s Computing. What Happened?
When it was a radio-maker, Packard Bell had a reputation for quality products. When a PC clone startup bought the name, that reputation fell apart—fast.
The Story of the Bose Wave, the Stereo System Built for the Infomercial Era
Bose Wave stereo systems were legitimately innovative when they launched in the 90s—as was Bose itself. The marketing might make you forget that, though.
Pixar's 1986 Imaging Computer Was So Advanced, It Changed Medicine
It’s a reminder that Pixar could have been a very different company.