Life-Changing Inventions

Life-Changing Inventions

Index

3. Virtual Reality

1. Smartphone

2. Streaming

4. Webgraphy

First Smartphone

Before

Steve Jobs' Idea

• Physical keyboards
• Limited internet access
• Low quality cameras
• Small screens

After the lauchment of the iPod, by Apple, Steve Jobs wanted to combine a phone, an iPod, and an internet device into one.

Key Features of the First iPhone (2007)

• Full Touchscreen
• Multi-Touch Technology (swipe, zoom, and tap with the fingers)
• App Store (2008 update / allowed developers to create apps)
• Visual Voicemail (choose which voicemail to listen to first)
• Much Improved Mobile Internet and Safari Browser

iPhone Impact on Society

The iPhone introduced new trends and set the standard for future smartphones:

• End of physical keyboards – After the iPhone, many companies moved to touchscreen designs.
• Rise of mobile apps – The App Store allowed companies to develop apps, leading to services like WhatsApp, and Instagram
• Better cameras – The iPhone’s camera improved over the years, making photography and video recording an essential part of mobile phones.
• Social Media Growth – Apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat became more interactive thanks to touchscreen controls.
• Mobile Gaming Industry – Games became possible due to smartphones’ powerful hardware.
• Dependency on smartphones – Today, people use smartphones for everything: communication, shopping, entertainment, navigation, and even health tracking.

Excerpt from the iPhone presentation by Steve Jobs

Streaming

Before (Old Ways of Consuming Media)

The Rise of Streaming

• TV and cable subscriptions (Had to follow a fixed schedules)
• DVDs and Blu-rays
• Illegal downloads (Piracy)
• Radio and CDs

• Streaming changed the way we consume content by offering instant access to entertainment on demand.

Key Streaming Platforms

Impact of Streaming on Society

• Changed the entertainment industry (Traditional TV channels lost millions of viewers to on-demand content)
• Made content more accessible (People can now listen to music or watch movies anytime, anywhere)
• End of physical media
• Rise of subscription-based services – The business model expanded beyond entertainment (news, video games, software like Photoshop, etc.)
• More global content – (Shows from different countries became international hits)

Virtual Reality

Early Attempts

The Modern VR Revolution

• Oculus Rift (2012, USA) – Invented by Palmer Luckey, this headset used better screens and sensors for a more immersive experience.
• HTC Vive (2016, Taiwan) – Introduced room-scale VR, allowing users to move around in a virtual space.
• PlayStation VR (2016, Japan) – Sony made VR available to millions of PlayStation users.
• Apple Vision Pro (2024, USA) – A mixed reality headset that combines VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality).

• 1962 - The first VR-like system, called the Sensorama, was created by Morton Heilig. It used 3D visuals, sound, and vibrations.
• 1980s-1990s - Companies like Sega and Nintendo tried to create VR gaming devices, but they failed due to poor technology. NASA and the military used VR for training simulations.

Applications of VR

Webgraphy

• https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realidade_virtual
• https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone
• https://axonpark.com/how-vr-will-change-the-world/
• https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/technology/immersive-technologies/three-ways-vr-can-change-the-world.html
• https://virtualspeech.com/blog/history-of-vr
• https://www.wowza.com/blog/history-of-streaming-media
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media
• https://digitalagencynetwork.com/the-impact-of-streaming-services-on-the-entertainment-industry/

Applications of VR

• Gaming – It gives players a fully immersive experience.
• Medicine and Therapy – VR helps in surgical training and treating phobias
• Education and Training – Schools and companies use VR for virtual classrooms, job training, and even space simulations for astronauts.
• Business and Work – VR is used for virtual meetings, design projects, and real estate tours.
• Movies and Entertainment – Some companies are experimenting with VR movies where viewers can experience the story in 360°.
• The Metaverse – Tech companies, especially Meta, are developing virtual worlds where people can work, socialize, and play inside VR spaces.

Key Streaming Platforms

• Netflix (USA, 2007) – Originally a DVD rental company, Netflix introduced an online subscription model that allowed users to watch movies and TV series anytime. Killed DVD rental businesses / Introduced binge-watching.
• Spotify (Sweden, 2008) – A legal way to stream millions of songs instead of buying CDs or downloading illegally. Artists now rely more on streaming revenue instead of CD sales.
• YouTube (USA, 2005) – A free video platform that allowed anyone to upload content. Platforms like Twitch and TikTok evolved from YouTube’s success.
• Disney+ (USA, 2019) – Disney’s streaming service gave direct access to its huge catalog. Big companies stopped relying on Netflix and launched their own services. Now, people subscribe to multiple services instead of just one.