On Tuesday, TIME released its list of the “50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time,” which it describes as being technology “that forever changed the way we live, work, and play.” Considering how we live in a mobile-first world, it’s no surprise that a significant chunk of gadgets are some form of mobile device, and as I’m sure most of us saw coming, the iPhone was listed as the number one most influential of all the gadgets.
Think of the gear you can’t live without: The smartphone you constantly check. The camera that goes with you on every vacation. The TV that serves as a portal to binge-watching and -gaming. Each owes its influence to one model that changed the course of technology for good. It’s those devices we’re recognizing in this list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time. Some of these, like Sony’s Walkman, were the first of their kind. Others, such as the iPod, propelled an existing idea into the mainstream. Some were unsuccessful commercially, but influential nonetheless. And a few represent exciting but unproven new concepts (looking at you Oculus Rift). Rather than rank technologies—writing, electricity, and so on—we chose to rank gadgets, the devices by with consumers let the future creep into their present. The list—which is ordered by influence—was assembled and deliberated on at (extreme) length by TIME’s technology and business editors, writers and reporters. What did we miss?
