TIL: The iPhone 6 is 120 Million Times Faster Than The Computer Used in Apollo 11 Mission
We all know that technology advances at an exponential rate. If you see the progress we have made in the last 20 years compared to the 20 years before that, you will know what I am talking about.
A major reason for that has been the advent of computers. Each year, computer processors get more and more advanced and we have come a long way since the invention of the first transistor in 1947.
In fact, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, made an observation in 1965, known as Moore’s Law, which states that computer processors double in complexity every two years. In fact we have advanced so much in computing power that it is speculated that Moore’s Law will become obsolete in the next 5 years, which is really fascinating.
In fact, today I learned that that the iPhone 6 is 120 million times faster than the computers used in the Apollo 11 mission which took the first humans to the moon and back.
This made me wonder just how far we had really come. A computer which took us for the first time ever on another heavenly body, and was probably marvelled over at the time, is now nothing in comparison to even a smartphone, let alone a laptop or a desktop. Really gives you a sense of perspective, doesn’t it?
Source for the TIL: https://www.quora.com/How-much-more-computing-power-does-an-iPhone-6-have-than-Apollo-11-What-is-another-modern-object-I-can-relate-the-same-computing-power-to
I knew it was faster but 120 million is amazing. I think this illustrates the power of exponential growth!
I was thinking the same thing, exponential growth, and now I got a new idea. The tipping point to attract people to steemit. We have to move towards that I think.
Yes. Tipping point is a good way to think of it. Once something has sufficient social momentum it becomes self sustaining - much like a nuclear chain reaction.
NUCLEAR CHAIN REACTION???
Sounds like what steemit is capable of!
Yeah I was thinking about something in the lines of that. It would be awesome, wouldn't it?
OK cool:)
so true guys!
thanks I'll try and keep that in mind next time I'm yelling at it like an idiot for taking 8 seconds to send my text... Man am I spoiled!
haha! it takes 8 seconds to send a text?? OUTRAGEOUS!! How dare it!! :D :P
Agreed, who has time to be patient?
Imagine the path I have traveled for my generation: I saw the arrival of electricity, telephone, radio, tv, first computers, internet, wireless, etc. What will be tomorrow! I hope to see many more changes!
You just gave me an interesting thought. Every generation sees a lot of changes in the world since they are born. Every generation thinks that "it is exciting times to be alive", well in reality exciting changes happen every year. They have been happening for quite some time now!
IMO, this is the first generation of information overload though. It is becoming increasingly difficult for someone to catch up. The new generation learns the newest marketable technology pretty intuitively. But the mass of technology in both terms of breadth and complexity, is beyond even the youngest minds to absorb. It's drinking from the proverbial firehose, 24/7.
I remember my parents used to ask me to set up new components for them. For me, it was simple. Everything just made sense. So I'd set up the new VHS machine, cable box, speakers, etc., because it wasn't something they as readily understood. Now I call my sons once in awhile and ask why something doesn't work the way I think it should.
This all makes me wonder where the plateau is. Is there a saturation point where humans simply cannot continue to increase knowledge exponentially? A point where the need for the basic knowledge just to have something to build upon becomes so huge that the increase slows down?
Sometimes its hard to appreciate just how far technology has come! Pretty amazing really.
true. We as a race are only looking towards the future and the promise of what it will bring. We seldom take time to look back and realise just how far we've come!
Digital watches from the 70s are/were more powerful than the moon landing's computer :)
Yup, I read somewhere that a calculator is more powerful than that computer. Interesting stuff!
That is amazing! I can't imaging the things we will be able to do in the next couple decades... technology seems to be expanding exponentially!
It is advancing exponentially. The next 20 years will be so awesome that we would have to take a reality check every day. So many things exclusive to sci-fi could spring up everywhere!
Exciting times to be alive!! :D
Oh yeah! Exciting time to be alive for sure!
Well, the problem is that the faster the computer gets, the slower the brain becomes. I call it, the TomTom effect. Guest why?
Well actually, the average human IQ has increased quite a bit from just a 100 years ago.
Prove that statement!
This is what I found about this:
http://reason.com/blog/2015/06/01/average-iq-scores-have-risen-30-points-d
The IQ levels have increased but that doesn't necessarily mean that people from 100 years ago were a lot dumber than we are. It's all about the specific abilities that people of today have.
I think, not yet, but from a evolutionary time line, soon. The usage of digital devices and systems will reduce some of basic human habilities. For instance, the hability of self orientation (TomTom effect or if you want the Google Maps effect). Or even, in our context, the hability of socialisation (need of algorithmic reputation systems to be able to see if someone is good or evil).
The question, domwe want to keep the good old human skills in favour to some (no yet defined) new ones?
Very true. We are an ever changing, ever evolving species. More so, with all the technological abilities. No one can say for sure what we will gain or lose in terms of intelligence, abilities, skills, etc. Who knows we might even be unrecognisable as bio-tech is advancing rapidly. Who knows we might be a mixture of man and machine one day!!
Compare the computing power of ONE Iphone 6 to ALL the computing power in existence in 1969...
Excellent point!
Houston we have a problem
Erh... no, it's OK. I found my iphone 6.
Haha! New conspiracy theory: iPhone 6 already existed with the army back then! :P
That old computer was faster than an any iPhone relative to the earth. (See what I did there? :D)
I see what you did there. But there were no iPhones then, so it couldn't have been faster than something that didn't exist. See what I did there? :P :D
I see what you did there, but maybe that old computer doesn't exist anymore, so the Iphone 6 can't be faster than something that doesn't exist anymore :D
Oh but the computers do exist today, in museums :D