As we start the year 2014 we look forward to many new developments in digital technology and marketing, especially with regards smaller devices (mobiles and tablets) and increased personalisation and localisation of marketing.
But go back 50 years to 1964 and IBM had just announced the System/360 – six compatible computers and peripherals that could talk seamlessly together, and IT investment shifted away from punch-card systems to the ‘modern’ electronic computer systems. In terms of programming languages, ‘BASIC’ was created, and the very first ‘eCommerce’ system was created – the SABRE reservation system for American Airlines.
Many changes within 50 years but he same issues are being addressed. Compatibility remains an issue, although standards have helped. Languages (the programming types of) have evolved rapidly with new languages and types created to meet specific needs. eCommerce now forms the backbone of many businesses with volumes and values of transactions processed online every second.
Leap forward to 1984, just thirty years ago and Apple launched the Macintosh – the first mouse-driven computer with a graphical interface. This also saw the start of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) word processing. In terms of data storage the ‘big leap forwards’ was the ‘small’ 4”x5” cartridge.
Just 20 years ago, in 1994 many innovations occurred that influence the Internet today. Companies such as Netscape and Yahoo were founded and introduced the early popular browsers and search engines. And storage moved smaller - this was the era of the 3 1/2 inch floppy and the zip disk.
In 2014 similar changes are happening. Browsers are evolving to suit the new popular devices (mobile and tablets). Flash drive storage is now cheap and the move is towards the cloud, so data is accessible from anywhere. New companies are starting up in the cloud marketplace. How we interact with the internet is changing, with voice and motion control being used in useful applications.
In 2014 ExtraDigital are looking forward to making good use of the new technical and marketing developments to help our clients compete in the digital marketplace.
