iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods Named to Time Magazine's Best Gadgets of the Decade

[MacRumors]

TIME has published a list of what it believes are the 10 most important gadgets introduced in the last decade, and three Apple products have made the cut, including the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

The original iPad was unveiled by the late Steve Jobs in 2010, while the Apple Watch and AirPods were released in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

"Before the iPad's introduction in 2010, the idea of a 'tablet computer' was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software," writes TIME's Patrick Lucas Austin. "Apple's iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices."

Austin adds that the Apple Watch "set the standard for what a smartwatch could do," while he believes AirPods are "the gold standard of truly wireless audio," especially after the launch of AirPods Pro.

The list also includes the Tesla Model S, Raspberry Pi, Google Chromecast, DJI Phantom, Amazon Echo, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Article Link: iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods Named to Time Magazine's Best Gadgets of the Decade

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I use my Apple Watch and AirPods Pro everyday

Apple continues to innovate 7 years after Steve Jobs passed away

 

[Sykora171]

Agreed. So curious as to what devices will come in the next decade.

 

[Kabeyun]

AirPods are "the gold standard of truly wireless audio,"

Yeah, I don’t see this opinion garnering too much snark here...

 

[HiVolt]

A car is a gadget? heh.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Loved that first iPad.

Didn't get released in Norway (at first), so I went to London to get it.

Still in (almost) daily use in the kindergarten where my partner works, being handled by 4 and 5 year olds.

 

[Ntombi]

It’s a great list, I agree with pretty much all of it.

I’m especially happy the Xbox adaptive controller made it; that thing is amazing.

 

[DoctorTech]

I often disagree with Time's "Best of Year / Best of Decade" lists but I would have to agree with those items being on the list. Each of them are best in their respective categories and in the case of iPad and Apple Watch, they have really defined the category.

 

[jmgregory1]

I agree that the iPad was a game changer for computers, in the same way that the iPhone was in the cell phone market. I would argue that the MacBook Air should be on this list too, as its thin and light angled design changed expectations for the PC market on what a laptop could be.

I've only owned a Watch for less than a month, but in that time I haven't once put on my beloved Seiko automatic watch that has been a constant in my life for more than 13 years. And that says a ton about what Apple created with the Watch, at least for me personally. I've not yet bought AirPods (Pro or otherwise), but they're on my list, specifically for traveling so I can ditch the over the ear ANC headphones I'm currently traveling with.

 

[citysnaps]

Well deserved.

 

[Lone Deranger]

The list also includes the Tesla Model S, Raspberry Pi, Google Chromecast, DJI Phantom, Amazon Echo, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Since when is the Tesla a gadget??

 

[benshive]

Yeah, I don’t see this opinion garnering too much snark here...

Yeah, some can't seem to realize that the audio quality of the AirPods is good enough for a lot of people and the convenience of them makes them a go-to pair of headphones. Not everyone has a bunch of lossless audio files that they need to listen to, and if they do presumably they'd have a higher end listening device anyway.

 

[WaxedJacket]

TIME Magazine... now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

 

[Jimmy James]

AirPods are the best of what we love about Apple. Take an existing product and completely change the way we experience it. They’ve never been much of an inventing company so much as a magically reinventing company.

 

[centauratlas]

I do agree with the list, particularly the Apple Watch and iPad, but really, does anyone really care what Time Magazine thinks about anything?

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

iPad - 2010 - Only just scraping in this decade there But yes it has been pretty revolutionary. Although sales of tablets are now slowing.
Apple Watch- After a rocky start as a failed luxury fashion accessory. It finally found its place as a sports watch, not that revolutionary.
Airpods - Yeah they are pretty neat. But Not up there with iPhone and iPad. They are an evolution of headphones, not a revolution.


What about VR headsets? Honestly as for as gadgets going that is far more revolutionary than any of Apple offerings this decade (iPad excluded).

 

[DNichter]

My favorite Apple products right here, really impressive what Apple has been able to do in the last decade on the heels of the iPhone. They have since reinvented themselves to be focused more so on services and wearables, which will prove to be huge revenue drivers in the years to come. The newest iPad Pro is the best computer I have ever used and I couldn't be happier to move on from traditional PC's, definitely a dying breed.

 

[PostApple2016BrainWash]

Airpods is just a wireless version of the Earpods that isn't intricate enough to consider a breakthrough. The fact is Tim Cook thinks more expensive + less innovation have never been stronger at Apple and definitely nowhere near as visionary as Steve Jobs.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Since when is the Tesla a gadget??

Its pretty much a gadget.

AI - self-driving navigation
Internet connectivity
Voice control
battery
Large screen display
Software update (as far as i heard though not 100% sure)

Just because it has wheels and you sit in it, it cant be discarded as a gadget.

 

[djcerla]

Few see the true potential of AirPods today. It's a generation-defining product in the same league as the iPhone. In five years we will be marveling at how humble was the start.

 

[PostApple2016BrainWash]

I believe TIME Magazine's would have include iPhone X in the list if it didn't have the bad-looking/outdated notch screen.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I agree that the iPad was a game changer for computers, in the same way that the iPhone was in the cell phone market. I would argue that the MacBook Air should be on this list too, as its thin and light angled design changed expectations for the PC market on what a laptop could be.

I've only owned a Watch for less than a month, but in that time I haven't once put on my beloved Seiko automatic watch that has been a constant in my life for more than 13 years. And that says a ton about what Apple created with the Watch, at least for me personally. I've not yet bought AirPods (Pro or otherwise), but they're on my list, specifically for traveling so I can ditch the over the ear ANC headphones I'm currently traveling with.

The MacBook Air didn't belong to the list because it was originally released in 2008. So it belonged to the previous decade.

 

[citysnaps]

Few see the true potential of AirPods today. It's a generation-defining product in the same league as the iPhone. In five years we will be marveling at how humble was the start.

For sure on that. Today, I see people wearing them all the time. Losing the cord with a device that just works is huge.

The real bonus for me is using AirPods for phone calls. What a superb experience!

Hat-tip to Mr. Cook and Apple's R&D and engineering groups for bringing them to market.

 

[PostApple2016BrainWash]

For sure on that. Today, I see people wearing them all the time. Losing the cord with a device that just works is huge.

The real bonus for me is using AirPods for phone calls. What a superb experience!

That's quite funny, there are few wireless earbuds that can answer a phone call before the Airpods even exist.

 

[citysnaps]

That's quite funny, there are few wireless earbuds that can answer a phone call before the Airpods even exist.

I'm at a loss understanding what you find amusing.