In the month that saw Apple Intelligence open its doors and Google DeepMind release the 2.0 version of Gemini, celebrating tech with no AI component whatsoever seems rather churlish. But 2024 wasn’t all about the all-conquering imposition of LLMs and generative creativity. We’ve assembled our ten tech stories that had the most impact in 2024.
01. Orchid by Telepathic Instruments
The Orchid
One of the players behind newcomer Telepathic Instruments is Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. That’s piqued the interest for the company’s first product, the Orchid synthesizer and chord generator. Expect to hear more from them in 2025.
02. Fender x Hello Kitty Stratocaster
Otoboke Beaver's Yoyoyoshie and the Hello Kitty Squier Stratocaster
The ultimate musical mash-up returned in time to celebrate Sanrio’s famous feline’s 50th. Fender Japan cannily cranked up the kawaii with bespoke guitars, including the revival of its Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster, and a plethora of accessories.
03. Epson EF-22 Projector
Epson EF-22 Laser Projector
Epson EF-22 is a compact laser projector that performs perfectly and unobtrusively, sized so you can store it away when not in use and featuring Google TV for ease of everyday operation.
04. Openhagen LightBoks projector
LightBoks projector by Openhagen
On the other hand, you might want to keep your projector on display, in which case the warm wooden stylings of the LightBoks, from Danish maker Openhagen, is the one for you.
05. Apple Watch Series 10
Apple Watch Series 10
Incremental increases may be possible, but the Apple Watch has come a long way since it debuted in 2015. The Apple Watch Series 10 is the most sophisticated (and sensor-stuffed) device you can wear.
06. Ten years of Monument Valley
Monument Valley by Ustwo Games
Now that the long-awaited Monument Valley 3 has arrived on Netflix, revisit the story of the original game.
07. Analogue3D console
Analogue3D supports original Nintendo controllers and up to four players
More gaming nostalgia in the form of the Analogue3D console, which brings back the catalogue of Nintendo’s famous N64 console.
08. Bring Your Own Keyboard
The BYOK screen is also backlit
Writers love to find new ways of practising their craft. In addition to the reMarkable Paper Pro, our paltry attention span was piqued by the distraction-free design of the BYOK screen.
09. Teenage Engineering EP-1320
Teenage Engineering EP-1320 Medieval
TE had a busy year, culminating in the all-new OP-XY sequencer. We couldn’t resist the stylings of the EP 1320 Medieval, a quirky ‘portal into a world of imagined medieval grooves.’
10. On Google Gemini and the rise of AI
Google Gemini AI
AI is such a fast-moving sector that our July musings on the ins and outs of the tech have been superseded many times over. As Google readies Astra, its next-gen multi-modal AI assistant, check back and see the origins of the tech before it blends seamlessly into our lives.
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‘Nothing just because it’s beautiful’: Performance artist Marina Abramović on turning her hand to furniture designMarina Abramović has no qualms about describing her segue into design as a ‘domestication’. But, argues the ‘grandmother of performance art’ as she unveils a collection of chairs, something doesn’t have to be provocative to be meaningful
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A local’s guide to Los Angeles by defiant artist Fawn RogersOregon-born, LA-based artist Fawn Rogers gives us a personal tour of her adopted city as it hosts its sixth edition of Frieze
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Shakara is a stylish new addition to London's West African dining sceneShakara, a new Marylebone bar and dining room, adds to the city's ever-more impressive high-end West African dining scene
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Layer conceptualises a next-gen AI-powered device: introducing the PiAPiA, the Personal Intelligent Assistant, is a conceptual vision of how AI might evolve to dovetail with familiar devices and form factors
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OpenAI has undergone its first ever rebrand, giving fresh life to ChatGPT interactionsA new typeface, word mark, symbol and palette underpin all the ways in which OpenAI’s technology interacts with the real world
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Point, shoot and process with Lomography’s two new colourful Instax camera editionsWith the Pemberley and The Blues editions, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass camera provides stylish and pocketable analogue photography
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We put the new ultra-compact Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum through its pacesA cordless handheld vacuum pitched at a plethora of tasks, Dyson has tasked the new Car+Boat with far-reaching functionality without compromising performance
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The Century Series, Philips goes retro to celebrate over 100 years of audio innovationDutch audio brand Philips has drawn on its extensive archive to shape the form of the five Century devices, all of which offer stylish ways to enjoy vinyl, radio and more
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E-ink comes of age: the best new tablets for distraction-free reading and writingWe explore the world of E-ink tablets to find the best device for handwriting input, editing, sketching and light computing duties
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Yves Béhar describes his approach to design, built around a core of sustainable processes and positive social impactYves Béhar is the Swiss-born American founder of Fuseproject, a San Francisco-based multidisciplinary design studio with an outpost in Lisbon. Béhar's work is held in collections at both MoMA and SFMoMA and includes everything from mobility design to medical technology, robotics and high tech start-ups
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Loop’s quiet revolution: design-conscious earplugs that really workThe makers of Loop earplugs offer ever-more colourful and functional options to allow anyone to turn life down a little
