What Tech company of the last decade has had the most impact on the world?

[TotallyOz]

Just curious to see what tech company, other than MER, has had the most impact on the world in the last 10 years?

[Guest EXPAT]

Apple

Apple

Apple

Apple

Apple

[Guest gcursor]

I'm going with FACEBOOK even though it's not been around for that long

[Guest hitoallusa]

Google!

I'm going with FACEBOOK even though it's not been around for that long

[caeron]

Maybe Cisco for Infrastructure. Google for net navigation and monetization.

Definitely not Apple. They have some cute devices (I carry an iphone), but nowhere in the ball park of most impact.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Well at least Apple represents the technology of power of the US. In that sense I think it impacted the US a lot.

Maybe Cisco for Infrastructure. Google for net navigation and monetization.

Definitely not Apple. They have some cute devices (I carry an iphone), but nowhere in the ball park of most impact.

[caeron]

I'm in the electronics business. Apple is glitter. They do good engineering and UI, but there isn't anything fundamentally breakthrough about them. Their PCs have 3% marketshare. I have an iphone and it is good stuff, but most impactful tech company. No. They just happen to have a big consumer brand.

[Guest EXPAT]

I think you may be blinded by a typical "hatred" of Apple. You can certainly tell by the way you speak of them. It is hardly an objective view. I have this discuss with a lot of people who don't like Apple mainly because they are more expensive than alternatives. It's almost like a Democrat versus Republican type argument. The passion abounds on both sides.

I think it is quite understood that Apple has completely transformed the global mobile telephony experience and their market share is indicative of that. And now copycats abound. Apple computers are growing in market share faster than any other type of computer. iPads have also revolutionized that market as well and copycats abound there as well.

I was also at one time a product manager for an intel based personal computer company and the Apple experience is far superior to all others mainly due to the operating system. I haven slowly transformed to an all Apple environment myself. I did that mainly based on experience. Microsoft environments are so buggy compared to an Apple experience. I used to have issues constantly with virus issues, OS bug issues that I never have in an Apple environment. Apple's attention to detail for the consumer experience will continue to help them expand and succeed in their chosen markets. People who think they are just glitter have completely underestimated the impact they are and will continue to have on technology.

Disclaimer: No, I don't work for Apple; nor do I have any vested interest in Apple other than the few shares of Apple I bought at $159 per share that have now more than doubled because of their success.

[caeron]

I don't hate apple, though apparently to you anyone who isn't in awe of them does. As I said, I own an iPhone. It's a good device.

But the most impactful tech company? Seriously? They make a great smart phone. They make a great tablet computer.

Cisco has been instrumental in building out the infrastructure of the internet. Amazon has taught the world the world how to use the internet to transform shopping, in the process completely transforming the publishing industry. Google has transformed the way we look for information. The list goes on. Apple isn't in that league in impacting the tech industry.

[Guest CharliePS]

I think it is far too soon to answer that question; if we look back twenty years from now, we will have more perspective. However, if you asked me for an off-the-cuff, subjective answer to which tech co. has impacted MY life the most in the past 10 years, I would probably say Google, since I have always been a researcher, and it has revolutionized the way I find information.

[Guest epigonos]

In the world of 21st century technology I’m not certain that my knowledge would even put me at the amateur level. Google has, however, changed my entire world. If I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself thinking about some esoteric question I have an immediate answer at my fingertips using a Google search. I agree that it has changed completely the way I do research on every topic imaginable.

For those of you who ARE knowledgeable regarding this topic I have an additional question. Where would you place Microsoft?

[TotallyOz]

For those of you who ARE knowledgeable regarding this topic I have an additional question. Where would you place Microsoft?

I think there is so much hatred for MS that few speak of the things it did do. It brought personal computer software to the masses. They held a monopoly for a while and IMHO, they have made an tremendous impact. Remember DOS? It just turned 30 yesterday.

For me, I have to say Google. It did change the way businesses do business. Working for many companies over the years that want higher rankings in Google, there is no company that is successful that does not realize the importance of the Google Search Rankings. Now, they are kicking ass with Google Plus IMHO. It may be a facebook killer.

Before Google, I used Dogpile. It was great and gave you lists from a variety of search engines. It was pretty amazing and yet Google kicked ass with the algorithm they came up with.

Still today, if you have a company that does anything on the Internet and you don't have a high Google ranking it is because you didn't do the work to get it there.

I love Apple and their 73Billion dollar cash pile they have accumulated. I think they are a great company. I think they have had an amazing impact on my daily life as I use their products every day. If they weren't around, I'd still have a PC and it would still work great and I'd do everything the same only with lots of viruses and lets pretty things in my life. But, for me, it has made a big impact.

What about the impact of Murdoch's empire? The 100 sites he owns?

What about Yahoo? AOL? Who would have thought 20 years ago, AOL would be on its last leg? I grew up with it and still use it as a primary e-mail.

[Guest gcursor]

Good question epigonos. Without a doubt, the PC would NOT be where it is today without Microsoft. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're the thing that make a great majority of the world's computers go round and round. There are now new O/s (and Apple as well) but Microsoft is still one of the greats.

The one thing that Microsoft HAS managed to do is make the o/s more and more complex with each new release. If you ever saw Windows 3.1 then you would TRULY understand how "easy" Microsoft had tried to make that program. Then Microsoft started getting fancy with THE HUNDREDS of system files and the rat's nest that is affectionately called "the registry". However Microsoft has managed to insert itself pretty deeply within most of the world's business networks and it won't be going away for a very very long time.

Admittedly much of the "magic" has gone from Microsoft's magic wand (primarily because of Gates departure) but it still continues to hold an impressive market share. Another reason that Microsoft has lost its flair is because you can ONLY make applications SO user-friendly before the users start saying "OKAY..SERIOUSLY? ANOTHER FRIGGIN' DIALOGUE BOX? I'm JUST GOING TO LUNCH..WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW LONG I'LL BE GONE FOR!?!!?!?! You're MICROSOFT WORD..not my BOSS!"

I had read books about Microsoft's initial unfair business practices but it doesn't really matter now. Microsoft has the money to look at these lawsuits and devote a thousand lawyers to them so that they never see the light of day. Also Microsoft (although they dont do this as much anymore) used to buy companies left and right to try to "supplement" their own product's creativity but some of those didn't work out quite as well.

One thing that will always haunt Microsoft and I'm sure Bill Gates is the internet. Microsoft was quite late in understanding the power of the internet. Gates thought it would be something of a passing fad and wouldn't explode like it has. By the time Microsoft HAD realized the impact of the internet and sharing information, everybody else was starting to do it while Microsoft was sitting at the starting line.

so microsoft will always hold a place in everybody's computer system...

Gcursor

For those of you who ARE knowledgeable regarding this topic I have an additional question. Where would you place Microsoft?

[caeron]

Since the question was about the last decade, I wouldn't rate MS very highly. They haven't done much significant in the last 10 years. the 80s were the period of the rise of the PC and I think you'd have to give that decade to MS and IBM.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Another amazing thing about Google is that they are very efficient in lowering their corporate tax using loopholes under US tax law. It leads many tech companies in setting up a tax-efficient structure.

[BiBottomBoy]

Intel.

None of the gadgets you use whether you are on apple or PC would do any of you any good if Intel wasn't constantly making better, faster and cheaper processors.