How fast does technology evolve

Consider the printing press, the invariable poster-child for anyone wanting to offer a quasi-historical perspective on the dissemination of information. The German inventor Johannes Gutenberg was, famously, the first European to develop a system for printing with movable type, in around Yet he was far from the first person to realise that using individual, movable components for each character in a sentence was a good way to speed up printing as opposed to laboriously carving every page of text onto wood or metal.

Printing using individual porcelain characters had been developed in China in the 11th Century, and using metal character in Korea in the 13th Century. Gutenberg benefited, however, from the far smaller number of letters in German; from his knowledge of metal-smelting as a blacksmith and goldsmith, which helped him create a malleable-yet-durable alloy of lead, tin, and antimony; and from his insight that the kind of wooden presses used for centuries in Germany to make wine could be repurposed for pressing type against paper itself a technology developed in China 1, years previously.

Wooden wine-presses, metal alloys, the Roman alphabet, oil-based ink, paper — every piece of the puzzle assembled by Gutenberg and his collaborators was based in a pre-existing technology whose origin could itself be traced back through previous technologies, in unbroken sequence, to the very first tools.

An installation by Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda aiming to 'challenge the limits of human perception and digital technology' Credit: Getty Images. In a sense this is self-evident. It is, after all, only possible to build something out of components that exist — and these components must, in turn, have been assembled from other pre-existing components, and those from others that came before, and so on. In the case of biological evolution, this process is based upon the transmission of genetic code from parents to offspring.

The genetic code of successful organisms is passed on, while less successful organisms fall by the wayside. Genetic mutations produce incremental variations in species, some of which may prove favourable, while mechanisms such as sexual reproduction combine the genes of different individuals and potentially produce further advantages. Other mechanisms for the recombination of genes include micro-organisms like bacteria adapting themselves to exist entirely inside large cells, symbiotically conferring benefits upon their hosts.

This article is part of a new BBC Future series about the long view of humanity , which aims to stand back from the daily news cycle and widen the lens of our current place in time. We will explore multi-generational thinking in all its forms, and hear from writers, researchers and artists who are looking beyond the short-term horizon.

Our goal is to explore what really matters in the broader arc of human history and what it means for our descendants, as well as revealing the hidden patterns shaping our societies in the long term. In the case of technology, the business of survival and reproduction is symbiotic in a more fundamental way. The answer lies all around us, in the immense interlinked ecology of the human-made world.

Our creations require power, fuel, raw materials; globe-spanning networks of information, trade and transportation; the creation and maintenance of accrued layers of components that, precisely because they cannot reproduce or repair themselves, bring with them a list of needs far outstripping anything natural.

A worker in China checks wheel hubs ready to be exported Credit: Getty Images. Consider the printing press one more time. Wine presses, smelted metal, paper, ink: the moment was ripe for a new technology to combine these and other elements. And it was ripe partly because sufficient interconnections of manufacture and supply existed to make combination feasible — and scalable. The paper Gutenberg used to print his bible was imported from the paper-making centre of Caselle in Piedmont, now a part of northern Italy; its delivery entailed transfer across the Alps by ox cart, then by barge along the waterways of the Rhine.

In its separateness from and yet reliance upon biological life, technology is uniquely powerful and uniquely needy. There are 4, million internet users. Growth in Integrated Circuit Chips They make the computer world go round.

Source: Big Idea The number of transistors that fit into a microprocessor reached over 10 billion in It was under 10, in Transistors Technology is progressing more and more and this is evident in the development of transistors — they are getting smaller and smaller. Currently, there are transistors that are 14 nanometers across being produced.

Source: Quartz Transistors nowadays are at the astonishing width of 70 silicon atoms. Source: Quartz The smallest functional transistor ever made is a 1-nanometer-gate transistor. Source: Attunity It is expected that by , more than Source: Statista Websites There are currently 1. It performs very well in the Hosting Tribunal live metrics too. Source: Trend Micro If clouds are your field of interest, you can learn more about the cloud adoption rates and the best managed services.

Source: crunchbase Streaming Services Growth Everybody nowadays is using at least one streaming service. And to think that not long ago we had to buy cassettes and videotapes… Just think about how fast technology is advancing! Source: Forbes The number is forecast to reach million globally by Source: Forbes In , Spotify has 96 million premium subscribers and million monthly active users. Source: Reuters Apple Music has Source: Reuters In , Amazon Music had 16 million subscribers.

Source: MarketWatch In , Netflix reacher million subscribers. Source: The Motley Fool Hulu had 20 million subscribers in Here are some technology growth stats to prove my point. Internet As of March , there are 4, million internet users, which account for The number of new users almost hit the five hundred million mark in Mass adoption of mobile banking technologies has the potential to empower people financially.

Over the last few years, the concept of IoT has become a vital role player across various industries. More and more businesses now look to integrate its many benefits into their network infrastructures. The following are some of the most up-to-date statistics on the growth of IoT. With the availability of affordable computer chips sensors through nanotechnology and the ubiquity of wireless networks , almost anything can now be made a part of the IoT according to statistics about how fast technology is advancing.

Just how fast is technology advancing in ? The first few months of show that 4. Although Africa had the lowest internet penetration rates globally, it has made some significant advancements in the last few years.

Its progression in the area was pretty fast that same year. Cellular IoT connection is a feature that allows sensors to be able to transfer information directly to a computer or your mobile device within a region or specified distance. Health wearables that transfer the information about the state of health of a patient to a doctor or hospital is an excellent example of cellular IoT. IoT statistics reveal that there were over 25 billion IoT devices around the globe at the end of Statista predicts that there could be well over 50 billion by Technology statistics and findings show that the automobile industry is one of the few places where innovations in the IoT have seen significant improvements in the past few years.

Aside from developing self-driving cars , research is being made to add lots of other features to the automobile industry through the Internet of Things. Soon, we could have vehicles that detect bad driving, accidents, and possibly imminent collision.

In addition, cars that detect flaws in design while sending a report back to the manufacturer could also be a norm in years to come. Statistics that illustrate how fast technology is growing show that the global usefulness and availability of the Internet of Things is increasing at a breakneck pace.

The IoT can save costs, increase productivity, create employment, and bring in billions and trillions in economic value in the process. IoT statistics show that more companies are pursuing smarter systems due to the technological growth in that sector.

Interestingly, major tech websites are beginning to follow these technology trends and have started implementing similar systems. Technology touches our whole lives and has generated trillions of dollars in revenue and market size in the process. Discussed below are some incredible milestones to help you better understand the impact of technology on businesses around the world.

It will be a positive growth from data which showed a slow down due to Corona when most businesses aimed at cutting costs. Big Data volume statistics have shown that I cannot overemphasize its importance. This follows as hundreds of organizations around the world are already investing directly and indirectly into its befitting features.

Insights from Big Data analytics can pioneer a small startup into becoming a multinational organization within the shortest possible time. That way, user engagement is significantly increased, and the cancellation rate reduced , thus increasing the potential of having a user around for a more extended period.

As of the end of , the IoT market was already worth Initially designed only to interconnect government-owned research laboratories, the internet has expanded at an exponential rate over the last three decades. The most recent data presented by statistics that illustrate how fast technology is growing places the average time spent online at above six hours. Countries like the Philippines and Brazil have the highest amount of time spent online daily, with hours and hours, respectively.

The US falls a little short of the global average, clocking in at hours daily internet time. Others like Japan and France spend the least amount of time online daily with hours and hours, respectively. How fast technology is growing statistics show that two hours and 23 minutes is the amount of time that social media users spent on their favorite networking sites in When it comes to the country whose citizens spend the highest amount of time on the sites, the Philippines came first with about 3 hours.

According to statistics that illustrate internet growth , the internet is growing at a pace of 11 new users per second — that is about 1 million unique users daily. Between the fourth quarter of and that of , million new users were added to the total number of internet users, bringing the final figure for to 4.

However, between the end of and the first quarter of , that figure has risen to more than 4. Websites began getting popular in That year alone, businesses and individuals alike launched about one billion websites. Growth of the internet statistics indicates an upward trend, and the number has increased by approximately million as of As of , there were 20 million domain registrations. As of , six out of every 10 people visiting the internet do so via Chrome. Mozilla Firefox and Samsung Internet tie at number three, with 3.

That number is expected to grow even further given that ecommerce is becoming the most preferred form of buying and selling around the globe.

Online video platforms like YouTube get massive traffic on a per-second basis every day. According to statistics, up to hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. Also, the platform has up to 1. Technology facts show that users find videos more entertaining and memorable.

So keep that in mind, marketers! When it comes to future technological trends that will rule the world shortly, a few inventions come to mind. The stats that follow will expose you to some of these future technology trends.

In , there were about 4 million virtual assistants. That number will double by and will be close to 8. An increasing smartphone adoption rate, the automobile industry, military and law enforcement training, the gaming industry, and growing technology awareness are some of the significant factors influencing the increasing need for VR headsets. Since its introduction to the mainstream market, the cloud computing trend has shown massive year-over-year growth.

Experts believe that it will soon cause traditional data centers to go obsolete. Experts predict that as time goes on, blockchain will find usefulness across multiple industries due to its secure and sophisticated network. Currently, there are ongoing successful experiments to combine Blockchain and Big Data to ensure uniformity and accuracy of results, especially in the insurance sector , and many more will follow in the years to come. There is no doubt about how vital technology has become to how we live our lives each day on earth.

The technology process has made life both more comfortable and efficient for the average human. The following stats will expound more on how technology is influencing our lives in general:. Today, anyone can pick up the phone and place a phone call to loved ones, irrespective of their location in the world.

Plus, the coming of the internet and social media has made staying connected even cheaper. Billboards are becoming outdated, and door-to-door advertising is said to have gone extinct. With the internet, businesses can now reach their targeted audience with ease and still obtain better conversion rates than the old system of advertising. In the past, you had to scourge the library for books on specific subjects that you intend to study.

Today, there are billions of videos, podcasts, audio, and text over the internet on almost anything you wish to study, making education more accessible. Technology has sure come a long way! There are billions of inventions yet to be discovered by the upcoming generations, and many more after them. And it is showing no signs of slowing down. Can you imagine what life would be without technology?

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Table of Contents. Wrap Up. Fascinating Technology Growth Statistics The following are some eye-opening stats handpicked from the most reliable sources: Globally, there are about 1.

The number of smart devices collecting, analyzing, and sharing data should hit 50 billion by The computing and processing capacity of computers hits double figures every 18 months. Every second, new devices are connected to the internet. In Q1 of , 4. General Technology Growth Statistics The following are some generalized statistics about how the growth of technology is influencing every sector.

Source: Data Reportal In the last few decades, there has been a growing telecommunications implementation. There are 4. That includes both smart and feature phones. Breaking down the number even further: Smartphone owners are the majority here, amounting to 3. By , there will be 75 billion connected devices in the world.