Innovation is everywhere. Well, almost. It’s not exactly a piece of cake to conjure up the next big thing, but without innovative and disruptive technologies, we’d live in a much different world. Just think: what if we still traveled by horse and buggy, paid for everything in cash, or actually *gasp* had to use pay phones?
Thanks to groundbreaking, industry-shattering new technology, our world has been driven to change as a result of innovate ideas and products that we never knew we needed. That’s why our world looks nothing like the one we just described!
Even just looking back to 1985 in our Past, Present, and Future of the Internet infographic, it’s clear that a LOT has changed. And with 2014 in the rearview mirror, we thought now would be a great time to reflect on just how different things are, and what it has taken to get us to 2015.
What do you think have been the most radical and greatest disruptors in history? Read along to find out what inventions, products, brands, or innovative concepts were deemed worthy to be included in our History of Innovation:
Before Mercedes-Benz was the luxury brand it is today, Benz and Daimler changed how we traveled forever by inventing the first automobile. How did people get around before that? The train if they were lucky, otherwise there was always the good ol’ horse and buggy.1
Remember when coin purses were stylish and balancing your checkbook was a thing? Us neither. Thank Bank of America for modernizing the transaction process with the first-ever statewide credit card, which opened even more doors to ways we transfer money, regardless of currency.2
It’s the one thing you can’t live without and chances are you didn’t even grow up with it. The cell phone, first introduced by Motorola, has been one of the most disruptive technologies for over three decades now. Rotary phones? Aren’t those, like, ironic paperweights?3
The Dewey Decimal Classification – that’s how we used to search for books. Not sure if the novel was up your alley? Tough luck. As one of the first ever online stores, Amazon revolutionized the way we buy books (and just about everything else), by making it easier to search, read reviews, and get the best pricing from the comfort of our homes.4
Ah, America’s favorite past time. The average customer watches Netflix for 93 minutes per day and consumes 45 gigabytes of footage per month – all for less than eight bucks. Before that, we were begging Blockbuster employees to take our $20 just so we could be the first to rent some movies for a couple days. Times really have changed.5
The 8-track, cassette tape, CD, and MP3. Each one was disruptive for being smaller and better than its predecessor, while also being cheaper. In fact, the MP3 was SO cheap that some people were illegally downloading them for free. iTunes changed all that by conveniently offering huge collections of music for just $1 a pop, and people couldn’t get enough of it.6
Quick – what year did Evan Spiegel found Snapchat? You probably didn’t know the answer, but Wikipedia sure did. Imagine if you had to wait until next year’s encyclopedia to be published to find out. And would it be under “Spiegel” or “Snapchat” anyway? Good thing you don’t have to worry about that with Wikipedia just a free click away.7
Booking a family vacation? Hopefully you don’t get sick of each other when you’re cramped in one room and sharing the same bathroom for a week. But what if you could rent a real home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a driveway for the same price as the hotel across the street? Enter Airbnb, the disruptive service that allows anyone to rent out their place without the exorbitant valet rates.8
If there was ever a modern technology that was universally loved and hated at the same time, it would be Uber. This ingenious service has changed how people get around town by hiring certified drivers using their own cars. Not only is it cheaper and more reliable than the average cab, but your personal driver is always just a tap away. No wonder taxi companies hate them.9
It never feels like our internet is fast enough, even when we’re dropping some major coin for the service. Google must’ve felt the same way because they started their own internet service that’s up to 10x faster than even the best broadband today, but at a fraction of the cost. It looks like the incumbents noticed, because they’re doing everything they can to slow Google down now.10
We’ve all heard of .com, .net, and .org. Why? Because they’ve been just about everywhere since 1985. And that’s great if you got the domain you wanted back then, but what about the new businesses of the 21st century? Everyone deserves a fair shake at a short and memorable domain, and that’s where .xyz comes in. It’s the ending of the alphabet and the new ending for domains. Best of all, you can pick one up now and still have lunch money to spare.
Was your favorite innovation included? For your sharing ease, check-out the full infographic of the History of Innovation here. We hoped you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
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And the countdown to 2015 begins! What were your favorite moments of 2014, #GenXYZ? Ours was hands-down launching .xyz in June and building the Generation XYZ® community with all of your support.
For #WebsiteWednesday, we’re flipping things around with an exciting announcement (hint: YouTube) to celebrate another huge milestone: .xyz is the first new domain extension to hit 750,000 registrations!
The only reason why we can feature such amazing sites on the regular is because of you, #GenXYZ. Because bloggers, artists, musicians, photographers, developers, startups, small businesses, and nonprofits like you are pushing awesome .xyz sites live, #WebsiteWednesday exists.
Inspired by all the great .xyz sites, we are super amped to announce our very first video series: Ways to .xyz. Check-out this teaser video for what to look forward to!
“Ways to .xyz” will explore all the ways you can use .xyz to achieve your goals. Whether you’re looking to have your personal voice heard or itching to turn your idea into a business, .xyz can help you jump start that journey.
What ways do YOU use your .xyz? We’re always open to suggestions for our video series, so don’t hesitate to reach out through the usual Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Yesterday at 14:00 UTC (aka 2 pm London time), over 18,000 never-been-released .xyz domain names were made available – all at our regular standard price. How can this be, you ask?
Until now, these names were blocked from registering because of ICANN’s Name Collision issue. Simply put, these .xyz names were being used by internal servers in the pre-XYZ era, so ICANN blocked these names to prevent any potential conflicts between these and .xyz’s launch as a namespace open to the public.
Now that everything is cleared up behind-the-scenes, over 18,000 new, much-anticipated .xyz domain names were finally released yesterday! Did you snatch any great names from this list, #GenXYZ?
Things got pretty heated when the names dropped. Here are some stats so far:
Great keyword domains are going fast, but don’t fret! There’s still time to find thousands of hidden gems in the full release list. Need inspiration? Stay connected through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for our #domainspiration updates!
Here are a few of our favorites to get your creative juices flowing for awesome .xyz domains to register (and still available as of 12/3 8 AM PST):
Are you the proud owner of a shiny new .xyz domain name? Let us know through all our social media channels @xyz and hashtag #GenXYZ!
The holidays are upon us, #GenXYZ! November has been an amazing month for us, starting with the great partnership with Gandi and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (get the deets here), all the way to our first ever hackathon with Product Forge in Scotland (details coming soon).
Ever wonder what Team XYZ is doing behind the world’s most popular new domain extension? We’re excited to share with you the most recent photos and the official premiere of our office Movember videos!
In an effort to give back to our own local community, over the weekend, Team XYZ began a volunteer partnership with the St. Francis Center in downtown Los Angeles. The St. Francis Center is an amazing organization that is responsible for feeding and providing resources to the homeless and elderly, and we couldn’t be more excited to prep, cook, and serve food to our neighbors in need.
Things got busy during service but we managed to snap a few pics here and there:
Our second November wrap-up update is Movember! As many of you know, we’ve been supporting Movember and raising awareness for men’s health via our Mo’s. To top it all off, check out these Mo’tastic videos that we whipped up. As the domain extension for everyone, everywhere, we wanted to celebrate Movember for all with these little snippets:
What did you think of the video? Let us know through the usual Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram – our ears are always open for you, #GenXYZ!
And last but certainly not least, from our XYZ family to yours, we hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Wednesday, #GenXYZ! How’s the week been treating you?
With the holiday season right around the corner, we’ve been working hard for you, #GenXYZ, to keep growing .xyz as the go-to ending for domains all through 2014 and beyond. A lot has happened since our last post. Did you catch our #Movember Mo progress? Or CEO and Founder Daniel Negari’s latest blog post about small businesses?
Don’t forget to sign up for the .xyz newsletter to get the freshest news straight to your inbox.
And I think you know what’s coming up next: #WebsiteWednesday! We’ve covered a cornucopia of websites (that’s the Thanksgiving spirit speaking through us), and we aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. As the domain for every website, everywhere, we are always excited to see such a diverse range of websites going live!
This week, the spotlight is on music. .xyz domains are, of course, perfect for artist portfolios, but they’re also a great way to show off some tunes to your listeners.
House Of Lords is a Toronto-based music and design blog, bringing you carefully curated tracks and playlists. Are you a fan of house, hip-hop, or bass music? You won’t be disappointed with their selection, and what is more exciting than finding your new favorite song?! Check out their sleek site and follow their SoundCloud account for a midweek pick-me-up.
From the other side of the world is Unmapped. Unmapped is an innovative music collective based in Paris, and performs widely across France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the U.S. Made up of eleven members, they’re the laboratory for the next generation of music. Focusing on technology and human interactivity, you surely will be listening to the music of the future when you check out Unmapped.xyz!
Did you discover any new favorite songs through these awesome .xyz websites, #GenXYZ? Share your favorites with us through Twitter and Facebook, and as always, let us know if you have any #WebsiteWednesday websites you’d like us to feature. Also, be sure to look forward to new .xyz videos coming out later this week!
