Was it really so long ago?

At one time, an Apple media event was big news. This was especially true when Steve Jobs was still among us. Although he wasn’t necessarily a skilled actor, he had his keynote chatter down pat. His consummate ability as a salesperson made it seem as if the new product or service was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or the wheel, or whatever product you wish to name.

Sometimes you felt that the new gadget was little more than an indulgence, and that was probably the initial reaction to the first iPod, with 1,000 songs in your pocket.

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Way back when, tech gear wasn’t all-so-easy to use. Even Macs, the “computer for there rest of us.” In those days, they were packed with several thick user guides. And, yes, I did read them, cover to cover, several times in fact.

Maybe I was a glutton for punishment.

Not that it made me an instant Mac guru, but I learned enough to make my way around without having to ask for help, at least most of the time. I suppose that’s why some people thought I was some sort of expert, and it did read to a number of writing assignments. So there is — or was — value in reading those manuals, even though most people didn’t bother.

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For years, Apple gear has been regarded as expensive, sometimes in the luxury class. Thus owners of such products were regarded as well-off, elites, or people who just didn’t understand the value of a dollar; well, make that whatever currency you use in your country.

I know that when I first brought a Mac into my home, in 1989, I did price shop, not that there were many dealers who managed the full product line. In the end, I chose the shop from which my employer bought their Apple gear after having been assured I’d pay the same price they did.

Now it was a different world, and you couldn’t buy cheap PCs for a few hundred dollars at the neighborhood supermarket. It was a serious purchase even though Apple’s pricing lay at the high-end of the market. While Macs were offered fully assembled, you could — and still could — assemble a PC from the parts. Sometimes you’d save a good deal of money, at the expense of having to assemble everything, configure device drivers and so on and so forth.

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Hearing someone say “the year 2020” seems a bit like a far-off sci-fi future, but the future is here, and in many ways, it’s pretty incredible. With a combination of rapidly-developing tech in general and the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been an incredible year for technology to change and adapt to the way it’s needed right now. Here are some of the most interesting ways tech in 2020 has adapted to the public’s needs.

More Accessibility for All

In 2020, more people than ever are working from home, with many businesses shutting down or whittling their in-store staff down to skeleton crews. In turn, that’s meant that tech has started to become more accessible in general. That includes everything from bookstores offering certain books for free to governments recognizing that internet access is more essential than ever, and pushing to deliver it to more and more rural areas. People are gaining access to tech at an unprecedented rate, and it’s served to help more people access much-needed services.

Information From Many Different Sources

Along with more access to tech, 2020 has seen a huge boost in access to information. It’s easier than ever to publish an article online or even just create your own blog to get information out to people. Within minutes, thousands of people can see the latest update on an interesting piece of information, even if that information is happening across the world from where they are. People are able to be educated with just a few clicks, and that’s more apparent than ever.

A Different Understanding of Sociability

One thing many people have pointed out recently is that the public’s understanding of “social functions” has needed to change in the face of COVID-19. That change may well persist past lockdowns and viruses, as well. With more people coming together online, it’s helping to fill a void of loneliness that has otherwise had no real cure for many people. Being social can mean a lot of things — an Instagram live video, a post on Twitter, or even a “virtual house party” — and many of those things weren’t possible only a few years ago.

A Slant Toward Education

For many years, people have been trying to use the internet to help with education. There have been online classes for years, so online education definitely isn’t something new that’s happening in 2020. However, it is something that’s happening at a more significant rate in today’s world, whether targeted at grade school kids or college-aged adults.

Education-based tech can take a variety of forms: just look at OneClass’ livestream, which is teaching high school, college, and university-level math and chemistry seven days a week. These lessons can help current students maintain their grades or help introduce new students to the concept. Either way, they play a vitally important role in education.

Conclusion

2020 has certainly created a new and different concept of tech, but it’s one that’s definitely not alien to the people who have been using tech for years now. Some of these developments may be new and exciting, but they’re easy to start using, especially for those who are already accustomed to tech in their daily lives. General tech development is an amazing tool, and from the looks of it, people in 2020 are using it in the best way possible.