Stewart Wolpin

Posted on 14 May 2024 by Stewart Wolpin

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CTA Centennial

Posted on 13 May 2024 by Stewart Wolpin

April 16, 2024, was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CTA (Consumer Technology Association), which started as the RMA (Radio Manufacturers Association). This is a series of essays I have written for TWICE exploring and celebrating CTA’s and the consumer technology industry’s first century of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

These essays have been assembled from varying technology historical research and writings I have done over the course of 20-plus years, including from an annually updated industry history for CTA’s now-defunct Digital America, 20-plus years of CTA Hall of Fame inductee biographies, and numerous tech history articles for a variety of publications over the years.

Part 1 (1924-1929): Founding

Herbert H. Frost: CTA’s ‘George Washington’

Part 2 (1930-1945): David Sarnoff

Part 3 (1946-1960): The TV Age

Part 4 (1961-1974): The Sixties

Interlude: Jack Wayman, Our Industry’s Indispensable Exec

Part 5a (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – Home Video Revolution

Part 5b (1975-1985): A Decade Of Disruption – Personal Audio Revolution

Part 5c (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – Personal Computing

Part 5d (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – 1984 ‘Phones It In’

Part 5e (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – 1984: Hollywood Loses The Battle Against Home Video – But Wins The War

Part 6a (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Recording Media

Part 6b (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Video Games

Part 6c (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Airways (Part 1)

Part 6c (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Airways (Part 2)

Part 6d (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Compression

Part 6e (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Digital Photography

Part 6f (1985-2000): Platform Wars – DVD

Part 6g (1985-2000): Platform Wars – HDTV (Part 1)

Part 6g (1985-2000): Platform Wars – HDTV (Part 2)

Posted in Tech History, TWICE | Tagged ABC, Admiral, Akio Morita, Apple, audio cassette, Beta, cassette, CBS, CEA, CEMA, CES, compact disc, Consumer Electronics Show, CTA, David Sarnoff, DynaTAC, Edwin Howard Armstrong, EIA, Engelbart, Fairchild, Gary Shapiro, GPS, Herbert Frost, hi-fi, IBM, Intel, Jack Wayman, JVC, LG, Masaru Ibuka, Matshusita, microchip, Microsoft, Mother of all Demos, Motorola, mouse, NBC, NTSC, Panasonic, Philo Farnsworth, phonograph, radio, Radio Manufacturers Association, RCA, RMA, Samsung, solid state, Sony, television, transistor, TV, VCR, VHS, video cassette, Zenith | Leave a comment

Happy 100th Birthday, Consumer Technology Business

Posted on 4 December 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

Celebrating the 100th birthday of the consumer technology industry with the story behind how and why our business came to be and of those responsible for creating it, in five parts:

Part 1: The Wireless Age

Part 2: A National Priority

Part 3: A Pittsburgh Radio Sensation

Part 4: The Birth of a Business

Part 5: “When The Public Is Ready For Mass Demand”

Posted in Tech History, TWICE | Tagged 1920, Consumer electronics, consumer technology, Consumer Technology Association, CTA, history, KDKA, Pittsburgh, radio, RCA, tech history, Westinghouse, WIRELESS | Leave a comment

How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Born

Posted on 1 December 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

What we now call the consumer technology industry was born November 30, 1920, when the first consumer electronics product, the two-piece RA-DA, the first commercially produced radio designed for the mass market, rolled off the Westinghouse assembly line in East Pittsburgh. After a two-year period of hectic technological, business and legislative/regulatory developments following the end of World War I, the Westinghouse RA-DA and the entire radio industry emerged, becoming the dominant consumer technology product for three decades. On the centennial of our industry, let’s take a look at the events of 1919-1920 that cleared the way for the future.

Part 1: The Day Radio Died

Part 2: How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Almost Never Born

Part 3: How President Wilson Shaped the Airways

Part 4: Happy 100th Birthday To The Consumer Technology Industry

Posted in Tech History | Tagged Alexanderson Alternator, consumer technology, Consumer Technology Association, GE, General Electric, Owen D. Young, radio, RCA, tech history, technology retailer, U.S. Navy, Westinghouse | Leave a comment

These Slide Viewers Are An Easy And Affordable Way to Rediscover Memories

Posted on 12 February 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Nostalgia (or newstalgia) lovers can now enjoy pictures from 35mm slides and similar film negatives with this compact gadget.

Read the rest of this roundup here at Popular Mechanics.

Posted in Best Products, Popular Mechanics | Tagged 35mm, 35mm film, 35mm slides, digitalization, Kodak, photo scan, slide projector | Leave a comment

Boost Mobile Bidding To Become Fourth Major U.S. Cell Carrier

Posted on 11 February 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Former Sprint prepaid spinoff hopes to compete with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon by offering lower-priced “Forever” guaranteed lifetime plans with unlimited talk/text/data, a 30-day trial, and 99% nationwide 5G coverage.

Read the rest of this report here at TWICE.com.

Posted in Apple, cell/smartphones, TWICE | Tagged AT&T, Boost Mobile, Celero, DISH, EchoStar, iDEN, iPhone, Nextel, Sprint, Summit, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin Mobile | Leave a comment

Howard Geltzer, Who Helped Launch The Sony Walkman, Dies

Posted on 23 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Howard Geltzer, who, with his wife, led the boutique Geltzer & Company public relations agency that helped launch Sony’s Walkman and other breakthrough consumer technology products in the 1980s and 1990s, died January 7 at LA’s Cedars-Sinai after a long battle with cancer.

Read the rest of the obit I wrote for my friend Howard here at TWICE.com.

Posted in Tech History, TWICE | Tagged Black & Decker, Commodore, Howard Geltzer, Morton Airbags, Motorola, PublicisUSA, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Walkman | Leave a comment

CES 2025: Era of AI Is Here

Posted on 23 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Meta Chief Scientist: AI Will Develop Common Sense

Read the rest of this report here at TWICE.com.

Posted in CES, Internet/Social Media, TWICE | Tagged AI, Artificial Intelligence, JEPA, large language, Llama, Meta, object-driven, Wing Venture Capital, Yann LeCun | Leave a comment

SmartTechCheck Podcast: CES recap, TikTok, Zoox, TSMC, Apple

Posted on 15 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Mark Vena’s SmartTechCheck podcast with myself, Rob Pegoraro, and John Quain, recapping recap of the highlights at CES 2025, Zoox hits the Las Vegas streets, TSMC and Apple, and (what else?) TikTok’s future on the line.

Posted in Apple, CES, Internet/Social Media, SmartTechCheck Podcast | Tagged Apple, CES, CES 2025, TikTok, TSMC | Leave a comment

Apple AI Badly Fumbles News Alerts, Critics Call for Urgent Action

Posted on 13 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

To the surprise of no one, Apple’s new AI feature, Apple Intelligence, isn’t as smart or as informative as the company claims. Quite the opposite.

Apple is facing increasing criticism from several news organizations, most prominently the BBC, over how its AI system has falsely summarized the British broadcaster’s news stories.

Read the rest of this report here at Techlicious.

Posted in Apple, Internet/Social Media, Techlicious | Tagged AI, Apple, Apple Intelligence, Apple News, BBC, iOS, National Union of Journalists, ProPublica, Reporters Without Borders | Leave a comment

Why I Think the Soocas Neos II Redefines Oral Care

Posted on 13 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

Even you’re a regular tooth flosser, it’s likely not your favorite chore. And if you don’t floss – well, as soon as you open your mouth, your dentist may discover a new means of funding their extravagant lifestyle.

To help alleviate the flossing chore, the folks at Soocas have created the MultiClean 2-in-1 Neos II ($169.99), a toothbrush with an integrated water flosser.

Read the rest of this review here at Techlicious.

Posted in Techlicious | Tagged electronic toothbrush, Neos II, Soocas, toothbrush, WaterPik | Leave a comment

Accenture: Enterprise AI Requires Fewer People But New Skills and Value

Posted on 9 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

My report on the CES 2025 keynote interview with Accenture CEO Julie Sweet from the official CES 2025 Show Daily Day 3, which you can read here.

Posted in CES, TWICE | Tagged Accenture, AI, Artificial Intelligence, CES, CES 2025, CNBC, enterprise AI, Julia Boorstin, Julie Sweet, Nvidia | Leave a comment

X CEO Yaccarino: ‘No Surrogate’ Reporting To Replace Legacy Media

Posted on 8 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

My report on the CES 2025 interview with X (Twitter) CEO Yaccarino on the social media’s site new Community Notes fact checking from the official CES 2025 Show Daily Day 2, which you can read here.

Posted in CES, Internet/Social Media, TWICE | Tagged CES, CES 2025, Community NOtes, Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Twitter, X | Leave a comment

Spatial, Quantum Computing Key for Implementing Enterprise AI

Posted on 8 January 2025 by Stewart Wolpin

My coverage of the CES 2025 Tech Trends “What’s New & Next in Emerging Technology” from the official CES 2025 Show Daily, Day 2 edition, which can be found here.

Posted in CES, TWICE | Tagged Adobe Experience, Amazon Web Services, Artificial Intelligence, Deloitte, enterprise AI, quantum computing | Leave a comment

Stewart Wolpin

• Scroll Down PAST HISTORIES For Most Recent Posts •

CTA Centennial

Happy 100th Birthday, Consumer Technology Business

How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Born

These Slide Viewers Are An Easy And Affordable Way to Rediscover Memories

Boost Mobile Bidding To Become Fourth Major U.S. Cell Carrier

Howard Geltzer, Who Helped Launch The Sony Walkman, Dies

Why I Think the Soocas Neos II Redefines Oral Care

Accenture: Enterprise AI Requires Fewer People But New Skills and Value

Spatial, Quantum Computing Key for Implementing Enterprise AI

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