Top 40 products of the last 40 years

1982 Sony CDP-101 CD Player: Sony, the premier electronics brand of the ’80s, kicked off the digital music revolution with the CDP-101, the first commercially available CD player. It was only a few years later that Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms (1985) crossed the 1 million-CDs-sold mark, and CD sales kept rising all the way until their peak in the year 2000.

1983 Microsoft Word: The ubiquitous word processing software made its modest debut in 1983, released as Multi-Word Tool for the long-discontinued OS Xenix. That version didn’t hint at the word processor’s future dominance, but the seeds were planted. The software was the first of its kind to incorporate styles on display on-screen, extensive mouse use and the ability to work in multiple windows at once.

1984 Apple Macintosh: Apple has always understood that a product’s success is as much about perception as it is about technology, handily demonstrated with the Macintosh debut. The Macintosh made home computing approachable with its windows-and-mouse interface. And, who can forget that iconic commercial that solidified Apple’s reputation for being nonconformist and creative? Today, Apple is one of the largest tech companies, and its first huge leap started here.

1985 Nintendo Entertainment System: By 1983, the home video game market had crashed and burned, with an uncertain future ahead. Out of the ashes came the Nintendo Entertainment System. We can talk about the revolutionary controller design or the processing power, but what really set the NES apart were the games! So many iconic game franchises came out during this era—series like Super Mario, Metroid, Final Fantasy and the Legend of Zelda.

1986 American Girl Dolls: American Girl Dolls were founded in 1986 with the aspiration to inspire girls to make their own mark on the world. Each doll came with her own historical backstory and how she had made an impact. Mattel acquired the brand in 1998, and since then American Girl has grown into an empire consisting of a diverse selection of dolls, books, retail stores, cafes and movies.

1987 Scrunchie: While this stylish and functional hair accessory is currently enjoying a revival, it originally soared to popularity during the late ’80s after being patented by Rommy Revson. Intended to keep big hair back and out of your face, this low-tension, fabric hair tie became the final touch to a perfect outfit—well matched with inline roller skates and a Kangol bucket hat.

1988 Lunchables: School lunches were revolutionized with these compact, conveniently prepared meal kits that brought charcuterie to the masses. Originally created as a ploy by Oscar Mayer to market bologna, Lunchables became an instant hit. Despite the dubious nutritional value, they remain popular amongst school kids for their assemble-it-yourself appeal.

1989 America Online: This was the year that a company you’d never heard of—Quantum Computer Services—renamed itself America Online, a name that would go on to become virtually synonymous with the “internet” in the mid-’90s. For a flat fee of $19.95 per month (after the free trial CD, of course) you could get dial-up internet straight to your home, provided your mom didn’t pick up the phone and interrupt.

1990 Photoshop: Brothers Thomas and John Knoll developed the first image editing software that would be available to the general public. Originally, Photoshop was included as a free bundle with scanner company Barneyscan, but Adobe saw its potential, licensed it, and released it as Photoshop 1.0 in 1990. In the 30-plus years since, Photoshop’s dominance in the photography industry is so universal that the name of the brand has become a verb, i.e. “Kim K’s photos are definitely photoshopped.”

1991 Super Nintendo: Topping the original NES was no mean feat, but Nintendo delivered the goods, dominating the 16-bit wars and outselling the Sega Genesis by more than double. What exactly were “bits”? We didn’t know, but we knew more was better. Nintendo’s major advancements in graphics, sound and game controller design impressed consumers, who became hooked on classic franchise installments for Mario, Zelda, Castlevania and Donkey Kong, along with many other games.

1992 Windows 3.1: Microsoft’s introduction of Windows 3.1 made PCs genuinely user-friendly. Familiar fonts like Arial were introduced, but most importantly, you could run several applications at the same time. This meant you could play Minesweeper and quickly hide it to seem like you were working on something important all along.

1993 Beanie Babies: These relics of a bygone consumer craze were once much more than cute plush toys—they became their own collectibles economy that still has legs today. There’s nothing quite like a toy that parents insist their children can’t play with, right? Today, those millennials who followed Mom’s rules are asking just how much they can sell their mint-condition purple Ty Princess Diana bear for on eBay.

1994 Sony Playstation: Sony’s debut game console was a hit with consumers thanks to a relatively low price ($299), capabilities as a CD player, and impressive game library. Groundbreaking classics like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid changed gaming forever, while Tomb Raider and Resident Evil would go on to establish major franchises.

1995 Windows 95: Set to the tune of the Rolling Stones’ Start Me Up, Windows 95 was, without a doubt, the most hyped operating system in history. Beyond the star-studded marketing, though, the new OS ushered in some serious technical advancements like “plug-and-play” connections, a task bar, the Start button, and the debut of the Internet Explorer web browser.

1996 Tamagotchi: If you ever longed for a pocket-sized companion to love and care for without the major commitment, the 1996 Tamagotchi was your best bet. This handheld, brightly-colored digital device allowed children across the world to babysit a pixelated pet with just three small buttons.

1997 Netflix: Before it became synonymous with binge-viewing, streaming wars and at-home first dates, Netflix was simply a rental service that mailed physical copies of DVDs to the homes of subscribers. Believe it or not, even with its vast array of original programming and Oscar-courting films, Netflix still offers the snail mail service today.

1998 Apple iMac: After leaving Apple in 1985, Steve Jobs returned in 1997 as interim CEO to help the company out of a bad slump. As ever, Jobs understood that the sizzle was at least as important as the steak, if not more so. Shortly thereafter, the colorful and curvy iMac desktop computer made its debut, a stark contrast to the dull, gray, boxy PCs of the time. It was a huge success and set the company on a trajectory it would ride for the decade to come.

1999 Napster: Both loved and hated, Napster was a seriously disruptive force in the music industry. The most prominent among a host of peer-to-peer file-sharing services, Napster allowed users to directly share songs with each other at no cost. The service was a massive hit, claiming about 80 million users at its height. While eventually humbled by copyright infringement claims, Napster forced industry stakeholders to sit up and notice an internet-created sea change, making way for the current streaming era.

2000 Sony PlayStation 2: The fact that it doubled as a relatively inexpensive DVD Player was what got the PlayStation 2 into millions of homes, including many that wouldn’t have ordinarily gotten a gaming console. Games like Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy X and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas—with their higher quality graphics and advanced gameplay—made it the best selling console of all time. Sony didn’t cease production until 2013, just in time for the PlayStation 4.

2001 Apple iPod: The original Apple iPod, along with its inescapably catchy ad campaign, was released in 2001. MP3 players were already on the market, but it was Apple’s elegant click-wheel design and tagline of “1,000 songs in your pocket” that captured consumer interest. The success paved the way for the iPhone and the rise of the iTunes Music Store. Let’s not forget we wouldn’t have the term “podcast” without it.

2002 BlackBerry Smartphone: No touch screens here: The BlackBerry 6710 launched in 2002, alongside the business-focused BlackBerry 5810, as one of the first Java-based devices. The 6710 was aimed at consumers for the first time ever, with an integrated mobile device as well as a 160 by 160 pixel monochrome display and an actual keyboard.

2003 iTunes Music Store: For just 99 cents you could purchase and play Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Crazy In Love or 50 Cent’s In Da Club for your personal listening pleasure any time you wanted to hear it. Apple’s music player for PCs permitted users to rip their CD collections, house them on iTunes, and burn songs to an unlimited amount of iPods, thumb drives and mix CDs. The iTunes Store also sold movies, TV shows and podcasts.

2004 Motorola RAZR: One of the most iconic cell phone designs ever released, the Motorola RAZR might as well be the flip phone. Its slim form-factor caught eyes, but it wasn’t until it got into the hands of celebrities that it became a must-have. More colors and carriers emerged, but the design itself remained the same throughout its lifecycle. Motorola has brought the name back over the years for a variety of smartphones, including a foldable version in 2020.

2005 YouTube: YouTube launched its beta site in the spring of 2005 with the first video posted by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim titled Me at the Zoo. Since then, YouTube was acquired by Google and has since become an ubiquitous presence in the online landscape. As of 2020, about 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute. It’s the second largest search engine, after Google, and currently boasts over 2.6 billion users per month.

2006 Nintendo Wii: The Wii was released in November 2006 as Nintendo’s fifth major game console. While the Wii Remote was not the first-ever motion-control device, Nintendo’s obsession with making games fun and easy to enjoy at all age levels cemented the Wii’s success as the “family friendly” console. The Wii beat out the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales and went on to support over 1,200 games. Plus, you couldn’t host a get-together at that time without busting out Wii Sports.

2007 Apple iPhone: Steve Jobs opened his 2007 MacWorld keynote speech by saying, “Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along and changes everything.” While his hyperbolic product pitches were widely acknowledged, he wasn’t wrong this time. The iPhone’s cross-functionality as a phone, desktop-class internet browser and widescreen iPod—all-in-one touchscreen handheld device—became the template for all future mobile devices and the next great platform for consumer tech. The first iPhone retailed at $499 and sold 1 million phones in 74 days. Apple has continued their successful line with 34 iPhone generations to date.

2008 Spotify: Who needs to worry about storing all those gigabytes of music in iTunes when you could have a limitless library available to stream? Spotify filled a Napster-sized hole in the listening habits of audiophiles when it launched in 2008. Today, it is the world’s most popular subscription streaming service with 433 million users (188 million pay for an ad-free experience.)

2009 Bitcoin: Regardless of your feelings about cryptocurrencies, you can’t deny that they have had a significant impact on the way people view investing. While not the first, Bitcoin certainly brought the idea of blockchain technology to the forefront. The founder, known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakaomoto, released a white paper outlining the technical foundations of the currency. Since then, it’s undergone a series of bull runs, stalls and crashes, but remains the premier brand in crypto.

2010 Apple iPad: When Apple released the first generation iPad, a new wave of touchscreen innovation was born to consumers everywhere. This Wi-Fi-capable, multi-touch tablet was a sleek and slim portable computer that came equipped with a 1 GHz Apple A4 CPU.

2011 Nest Thermostats: The Nest Thermostat helped bring the idea of a futuristic smart home into the modern day. The first Nests came out right after a massive heat wave gripped the U.S., so both saving energy and climate change were on people’s minds. The smart thermostats became popular because you could set it and forget it, all whilst saving energy.

2012 Tesla Model S: Founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to be the premier intersection where car and tech companies meet, Tesla really hit its stride with the 2012 Model S. With a range of up to 265 miles per charge, this Tesla proved that an electric car had the potential to be your everyday ride. Plus, if you had to meet a Tinder date (which also came out in 2012) a quarter mile away, you could get there in 12.5 seconds.

2013 Google Glass: While few would consider Google Glass a successful product, these smart glasses were certainly talked-about over a long tease-out starting in 2012. By 2013, units finally became available to the general public. The internet-connected eyewear was capable of taking photos and video via hands-free voice commands, and loaded with aspirations for future applications. Hyped and mocked in equal measure, the smart glasses ultimately proved to be too weird for mainstream adoption.

2014 Amazon Echo: Leveraging its massive brand appeal with customers, a low price point and gee-whiz voice recognition technology, Amazon popularized the idea of a smart speaker—and a smart assistant named Alexa—that felt right at home in your kitchen or bedroom. If the idea of an always-on audio recording device raised some privacy concerns, Alexa’s soothing voice seemed to smooth them right out of your mind. The Echo has gone onto massive success, branching out into multiple shapes, sizes and formats.

2015 Beyond Burger: Founded as a product to combat climate change, the Beyond Burger became a catalyst for realistic meat-free alternatives when it stepped onto the scene in the mid 2010s. Soon after, competitors like the Impossible Burger followed suit. Before imitating America’s favorite grill item, Beyond had successfully developed plant-based chicken strips, beef crumbles and, even, pork. Today, Beyond's meat alternatives are offered at fast food joints across the globe in locations like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ and Taco Bell.

2016 AirPods: When Apple AirPods arrived on the scene, the days of portable disk players and foam on-ear headphones had long been memories. These Bluetooth-compatible, wireless buds tucked right into your ears and didn’t have any dangling wires. They also allowed users to listen to music, stream videos and answer calls with built-in microphones, with no one the wiser.

2017 Nintendo Switch: After Nintendo flopped with its too bulky Wii U handheld gaming console, it made a comeback with a crazy idea: a portable tablet that could transform into a home console in seconds. Welcome, Nintendo Switch. It sold like gangbusters on the strength of games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and gamers everywhere began clamoring for their favorites to get ported. A revamped store gave indies like Hollow Knight a second wind.

2018 Oculus Go: By 2018, Facebook had already acquired Oculus, a pioneering company that developed virtual reality headsets, but mass adoption of the technology proved elusive. The Oculus Go was an effort to cross that threshold by making the headset standalone, without any need for tethering to an external device. The reception was generally positive, but VR remains a niche technology to this day.

2019 Apple AirPod Pro: A step up from the simple AirPod, the AirPod Pro debuted with a slew of bells and whistles for those that truly appreciate good sound. Adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio added a whole new dimension to taking phone calls on the go, listening to podcasts, and/or ignoring people while commuting. Plus, the ergonomic shape helps them fit more comfortably.

2020 Sony Playstation 5: Despite this ninth-generation video game console being plagued by COVID supply chain delays and semiconductor shortages, Sony's Playstation 5 did not fail to impress, boasting a striking design and a solid-state drive that lived—still lives—up to the hype. During the pandemic, a whole cottage industry sprung up around trying to track down available units the second they hit retailers’ websites.

2021 Moderna / Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccines: It wasn’t a gadget or a gizmo. Undoubtedly, the most highly sought-after product of 2021 was a COVID-19 vaccine. People lined up across the country to get the jab, and you couldn’t beat the price: free. It didn’t put an end to COVID, but it moved us a step closer to normalcy, and we’ll take that over a new iPhone any day.