1995: Before There Was Light

To figure out what all the hype and excitement is about the iPhone and the Era of Convergence, let's first flashback to a much simpler time -- 1994.

People were buying CDs at places such as Sam Goodie's and The Wiz. They were dropping off roles of film at the camera shop. They were using landlines and payphones to talk to their friends and family -- mobile phones were for yuppies, at least those that didn't fear cancer.

And the "World Wide Web" was something only geeks and librarians used.

But 1995 ushered in technological innovations that would forever change the way consumers interact with media, and with eachother:

 

Kodak introduced the first point-and-click digital camera.

 

Innovations in digital technologies led to mobile phones becoming mainstream.

 

And most importantly of all, the National Science foundation removed the ban on the commercial use of the internet.

 

Each of these technological breakthroughs enabled consumers to live fuller, more connected lives. But there was a problem...