The electronic revolution started from 18th-19th century and changed the human life forever. The associated data storage and display technologies also evolved with computer evolution.

Storage Technologies


 Let us learn how these storage technologies evolved over time.

Machine-Readable Punched Card (1890)

Herman Hollerith invented Punched-card that could be read by a machine.

Magnetic Drum (1932)

Invented in Austria,The magnetic drum was an early form of computer memory. Electromagnetic pulse was stored by changing the magnetic orientation of ferromagnetic particles on the drum.

Magnetic Tape (1951)


Magnetic Tape used magnetic pulses to store data over magnetised tapes. They had the capacity of storing as many as 1000 punch cards. They became very popular as backup media.

Hard Disk Drive (1958)
It is a set of magnetized circular platters that store data as magnetic dots. Introduced as data storage for IBM computers, These devices were not very popular in 1960s and 1970s due to their immense size and price. However, in 1990s, They were the modt popular Data Storage Devices.

Floppy Disk (1969)
It is a thin flexible magnetic disk, covered by a protective plastic jacket. The earliest floppy disks stored data upto 80kb of data. Inexpensive and mobile floppy disks were considered a revolution in data storage. These are used to come in three sizes: 8", 5.5", 1.44".

Optical Storage mediaCD (1980s) DVD (1990s)
CD (compact Disks) were created in 1980s by Philips and Sony as a replacement of Floppy disks.

DVD (Digital Video Disks) created in 1990s, were the next revolution of CD. A DVD could store data upto 8-10 CDs.

Flash Drive (1998)


A flash drive is a solid state memory. It is an inexpensive small, compact and mobile storage media that has successfully replaced the floppy disks from storage sence.

Blue-Ray Discs (2000)

This next generation optical disk can store enormous amount of data in its storage space of 400 nano metres.

The Cloud (21st century)

Similar to how data is stored on the internet, cloud storage allows data to be stored on multiple servers, Which are generally hosted by 3rd parties.


Display  Technologies


Just like storage technologies, the display technologies also evolved over time.Following lines briefly enlist the evolution of display technologies.

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube, 1897)

First devloped in 1897, CRTs were used in television sets and in early computers as the display screen.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display, 1963)
Suggested in 1963 for display screens, LCDs first found application in warches and calculators. For Computer displays, LCDs were prominently used in 1960s only.

Plasma Monitors (1964)
From the first prototype release in 1964, they found space as display screens because of their long life and wide range of contrasts and colours.

Touchscreen Monitors (1965)
Touchscreen technology, although invented in 1965, found its place as display technology only after Apple released first iPhone in 2007.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display, 1987)
Invented in 1987, The OLED display were first introduced as display screens to consumer in 2009. The OLED technology these days is being used in display screen of computers, smartphones, television sets etc.