Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung – History of Technology

Like the building blocks in the world of Minecraft, it takes a lot of small developments throughout the decades to create the technology we use today. Three tech companies hold the most sway, with at least 200+ million sales worldwide. These are Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung.

You have probably owned a TV in your lifetime. They are extremely common today, though it was not always like that. Even though the development of TVs started in the 1920s, such as when British inventor John Logie Baird made the first-ever color transmission through a television system in 1928, TVs didn’t really have a boom until after WW2. In the 1950s and 60s, television stations and channels were added to distinguish TV from the radio. The new TV allowed the important event to be broadcast nationwide, such as President Harry Truman’s speech of peace to Japan in 1951 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Here, the first of our tech giants appears. In 1970, a trading company known as Samsung began their own production of black-and-white TV. This former trading company soon became major player in the computer sciences. Their most famous TV today is their Smart TVs, which were available to the public in 2015 after a brief stint in 2011.

TVs weren’t the only technology that went through a long process. In fact, computers had a 40-year gap between their first conception in 1937 to then seeing computers created for personal use. However, the rise in personal computers also helped with the creation of two tech giants from humble garages.

In 1975, the Altair 8800 was released, complete with red LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and an Intel 8080 CPU. This inspired two college dropouts, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, to create their own. They released the Apple 1 in 1976. Microsoft also took inspiration from The Altair 8800 and made its debut in 1978. They released the Altair BASIC, an interpreter for the Altair 8800. In 1981, they released the IMB DOS loaded with Window’s MS-DOS software. Even though the floppy disk originally created from IMB has turned into the save icon in Word and USB ports that Intel created have changed, the battle between Apple’s Mac OS v Microsoft Windows continues to this day.

Of course, how can you not talk about modern technology without mentioning the smallest of all our modern technologies? The mobile phone is where all three giants collide most of all. The 2003 launch of 3G networks allowed for the creation of modern smartphones, now connected to the internet. The first competitor is the first iPhone from Apple in 2007. This was a tremendous success in smartphones, which led to Microsoft and Samsung releasing the Windows 7 and Samsung Galaxy in 2010. Whilst Microsoft is Apple’s competitor in information technology, Samsung is the major competitor of Apple in this category. It is not just the phones anymore. The wireless earbud (Galaxy Buds v Airpods) and different app stores (App store v Google Play) are also part of the clash now.

You have had your history lesson. Let’s see what you’ve learned through the quiz. Each question has four potential answers, only one of which is correct. Select the right answer and see if you can get full marks. Compete with your friends in our fun challenge. Gather your fellow players around to see who’s been paying the most attention during this brief history lesson.