CHS: Lesson - Hardware Evolution

The image shows the evolution of computers from Room-sized behemoths to the latest in modern quantum computing.Hardware Evolution

Have you ever thought about how the devices we use came to be? How the phone in your hand is more powerful than even the biggest computers from 30 years ago? Why do devices change over time and can we track that change? Let's explore two basic pieces of hardware that have seen major changes since being invented and are now in fact interrelated: the phone and the camera.

Hardware and Software Exploration

You may have heard the expression "One of the only consistent things in life is...change." That definitely seems to be the case in technology and computer science. Take a look at the image below that illustrate how phones have changed over time:

A graphic demonstrating the evolution of phones: from early analog versions to the most modern cell phones.

Change Over Time

An image showing how cameras developed over time.

Did you know that most Americans born before 1993 may remember actually taking a roll of camera film to a local store to have the pictures developed? The customary wait time to see the pictures was 5-7 days! Advancements in technology allowed for 1 hour processing, so people could have their pictures much faster - but they still had to take the film to a processing center to get it developed. Can you imagine waiting like that to see what a picture you took looks like?

For those who remember, it meant waiting 5-7 days to sometimes discover that someone’s eyes were closed, or that the picture was blurry, or that one of your brothers/sisters was making a silly face. With that in mind, you can see why a professional photographer was such an important role in society - to have someone you could trust to take an excellent picture was much more important when such considerations were on the line!

Compare that to how we take pictures now: we know immediately how the picture looks and some devices allow users to choose a frame from a live shot. This usually means that people take a lot more pictures now than they used to: when you can instantly check your image, there is less incentive to be extra careful (not to say that people aren't careful when taking pictures - just that the consequences of mistakes are lessened).

An image showing a DSLR camera.Think About It...

Do you own a camera that is separate from your phone or digital device? For most students, the answer will be no! For some of you, it is possible you've never even held a camera that was not a part of a multi-purpose digital device (phone, tablet, etc.) and almost certainly, you have never used actual film to take pictures.

Even the camera pictured to the right is a product of digital innovation. It is called a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. For this type of camera, a memory card is inserted which stores the images captured by the camera, and later those images can be transferred to another device for editing. So, most modern cameras don't use film or require lengthy processing!

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