Days go by and we don't always notice how much technology has advanced over the last few decades, so sometimes you have to stop to think about it. Whether it's the quality of images, the capacity of our memory cards, or even the capacity of the mobile devices we carry in our pockets every day, technology has gone absurdly far.

Here are some examples of how this evolution is evident when compared to past data.

1. Space images

Our view of Pluto has greatly improved over the last 20 years.

This comparison of Space magazine highlights how the quality of space images has evolved absurdly in just two decades. If in 1996 Pluto was a jumble of incomprehensible pixels, in 2015 we could see the dwarf planet of the Solar System in high definition.

2. USB sticks

DiskOnKey, the world's first flash drive, had only 8 MB of storage.

In 2000, IBM launched DiskOnKey, the first USB stick we know today. The debut units of this machine were manufactured by M-System and offered an incredible 8 MB for storage, a value far removed from those offered by tiny 1 TB or even 2 TB parts we see today.

3. Storage Drives

5 MB of memory has already been very heavy.

If today we have ultra-fast SSDs of up to 100 TB or even portable hard drives that weigh only a few grams and hold several terabytes, 60 years ago that was not quite the case. The image above is classic and shows a storage device of only 5 MB (yes, megabytes) from IBM measuring 1.4 square meters.

4. microSD Cards

512 GB microSD card is already a reality.

The cards we use today to expand smartphone storage were created in 1999, but only sold in 2005, with models that offered between 32 MB and 128 MB. There are currently 246 GB and 512 GB options available on the market, all in a range of just over 10 years.

5. Data Processing

The rocket computer that carried humanity to the moon was much weaker than a 2018 incoming cell phone.

The Apollo 11 rocket computer, which took humans to the moon in 1969, was much weaker than today's basic devices. It had only 64 KB of RAM and a 0.043 MHz CPU, significantly less even than many more modern equipment, including a simple entry-level smartphone for sale in 2018.

6. Everything in your pocket

1996 vs 2013: Now it all fits in your pocket.

Until the mid-2000s, computer, calendar, calendar, notepad, clock, camera, camcorder, telephone and walkman were separate devices. From the second half of the decade, however, smartphones came true and all of this began to become one piece.

7. Computers

ENIAC in photo taken in 2006.

The first large-scale electronic digital computer was the ENIAC, which went live in 1946 and weighed no less than 30 tons. Nowadays, it is not so difficult to find laptops that offer power infinitely higher than the computer of the 40's and weigh only 1.2 kg.

This article was inspired by a publication from the Science Alert website.

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7 facts that show how far technology has gone so far via TecMundo