Which Gadgets from 2013 Will We Miss?
We pick the gadgets launched in 2013 that may become classics in years to come
Most gadgets are like summer mayflies: they shine brightly, but vanish quickly. Only a select few earn the right to be called Gadgets We Miss, so we thought it would be interesting to consider which of the gadgets launched this year we might be writing about in 10 or 20-years time. So, what are the gadgets of 2013 that may be Gadgets We Miss in 10 or 20 years time? Here are our 5 picks for Gadgets We (Might) Miss From 2013.
1 — iPad Mini With Retina
Memorable gadgets are sometimes about hitting that sweet spot of price, performance, design and usability. The iPad Mini with Retina seems have hit that target with William Tell-like accuracy, providing a great balance of all four important factors. It’s well priced, has plenty of performance for gaming and photo editing, is small, light and stylish and is very easy to use. The Retina screen is the cherry on the cake that makes it a classic; adding the extra resolution to the small screen without bulking up the device (it weighs less than a pound and is under 0.3 inches thick). That gives it all the qualifications for being a best-of-class gadget that people love and will use for years to come.
2 — HTC One
People sneeringly dismissed the “phablet” as a worst-of-both-worlds compromise when it first came out, but this cellphone/tablet hybrid form factor has stuck around, and has perhaps been perfected with the HTC One. It has a big, bright screen that works well for watching movies on a plane flight, but is still small enough to carry around all day. And the improvements to Android in recent versions have kept the pressure on Apple, adding features that will make this phone a classic. Sure, there will be bigger, better and nicer Android phones, but the HTC One is one of the first that really works as a complete package.
3 — Oculus Rift
Real innovations in gaming are few and far between, but the Oculus Rift is definitely something new. This virtual reality headset has been gaining some serious support in 2013, including hiring John Carmack (the co-founder of iD software, creators of Doom and Quake) as their technology head. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this device is what is not there, though; proprietary software. The company behind the device OculusVR has been working closely with game developers to add support to their games, but without forcing them to buy expensive developers kits or pushing them into secret SDKs, only available to the select (and wealthy) few. All you need to develop a game that supports the headset is one of the headsets itself, which costs just $300, and the drivers that come with it. That’s much cheaper than devices like the Playstation 4.
Of course, the history of gaming is littered with things that were neat ideas, but which never caught on, especially in the tricky world of VR (hello, virtual boy). But OculusVR seems to be doing everything right so far: taking it slowly, building support and following the lead of the top games companies. And that makes me think that we will be covering this gadget as the first success of its type in a few years.
4- Google Glass
Is Google Glass the beginning of a revolution in computers that you wear rather than carry? That remains to be seen, but Google Glass will no doubt be remembered as the first major device of its type. Although it wasn’t launched in 2013 (Google announced it in 2012), this was the year that it became a real device that you could buy. Those who have used the device have given mixed reports, especially in how people react to it when they see it. “Glass is socially awkward” noted Wired writer Matt Honan, who recorded his impressions of using one of the first versions of the device through 2013, titled I, Glasshole. “Again and again, I made people very uncomfortable. That made me very uncomfortable…People get angry at Glass. They get angry at you for wearing Glass. They talk about you openly. It inspires the most aggressive of passive aggression.” Will Glass users remain social phariahs? That remains to be seen, but either way, Google Glass will be a landmark device that people remember.
What are the gadgets that you think will be remembered from 2013? If this piece has wetted your appetite for some gadget nostalgia, below are links to some of our other articles from 2013.
