anniversary

General
June 16, 2011
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Throwback Thursday: IBM

By on June 16, 2011 at 3:45 PM.

Throwback Thursday: IBM

BGR’s Throwback Thursday segment is typically reserved for extinct tech, but this week we make an exception. On June 16th, 1911 — one hundred years ago today — Charles Ranlett Flint merged three companies to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. Headquartered in New York City, CTR manufactured and sold scales, card-punch machines, meat slicers and a variety of other products that have long since been replaced by several generations of improved offerings. CTR changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, on February 14th, 1924, to better align its name with its wide range of products. IBM would hit its stride building tabulating devices, and it was at the forefront of developing the PCs we now take for granted. Now, 100 years later with a market capitalization of just under $200 billion, IBM remains a leader in the technology space, producing software and hardware that will shape the future of computing. Happy 100th, IBM, and here’s to 100 more.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

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Services
May 26, 2011
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YouTube now streams 3 billion videos each day

By on May 26, 2011 at 7:01 AM.

YouTube now streams 3 billion videos each day

Google’s YouTube team on Wednesday announced two milestones to help celebrate its 6-year anniversary. Most notably, YouTube stated that as of this past weekend, the site now serves over 3 billion videos each day. That’s equal to half the world’s population watching one YouTube video each day, and it represents an increase of 50% over last year. The company also said that over 48 hours of footage is uploaded to the site every minute, which is a 100% increase over last year. Needless to say, YouTube has become an Internet staple over the past six years and try as they might, competitors have yet to come close to seeing the tremendous adoption YouTube has experienced. More →

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Featured
May 19, 2011
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Apple retail turns 10

By on May 19, 2011 at 9:01 AM.

Apple retail turns 10

Apple’s first foray into retail was a giant question mark on May 19th, 2001, when Apple opened the doors to its first two retail locations in Glendale, CA and McLean, VA. Ten years later, Apple’s retail stores are a crucial piece of the puzzle that has been assembled to create a customer experience unlike any other. “Apple today announced that its first two retail locations welcomed over 7700 people and sold a combined total of $599,000 of merchandise during their first two day weekend,” an Apple press release boasted on May 21st, 2001. Despite the solid weekend, several media outlets lambasted Apple for its decision to target high-rent areas with its first flock of retail shops while Gateway had just closed the doors on its retail endeavor. “I give them two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake,” one analyst was quoted as saying following Apple’s retail debut.

But the company was still optimistic. “We are blown away with the numbers,” CEO Steve Jobs said following the stores’ opening weekend. “More importantly, customers have told us they love everything about the store—from the knowledgeable sales staff to the Genius Bar to the store’s design and unique approach to presenting digital lifestyle solutions.” In fiscal 2009, Apple Stores grossed $6.65 billion globally for $1.66 billion in profit. In fiscal 2010, Apple’s retail stores pulled in $2.36 billion in profit on $9.8 billion in revenue. So far over the first six months of fiscal 2011, Apple has made $1.84 billion in profit on revenues of $7.04 billion. Apple’s gravity defying retail performance can’t keep climbing forever, but from where we’re sitting, opening those first few Apple Stores 10 years ago seems like it worked out pretty well. And we’re fairly confident Apple still has a few tricks up its sleeve to ensure that the crowds keep coming. Hit the break for a video of Steve Jobs introducing the world to Apple’s first Apple Store. More →

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mobile
March 31, 2011
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Microsoft celebrates Windows Phone 7 anniversary with impressive numbers

By on March 31, 2011 at 7:06 PM.

Microsoft celebrates Windows Phone 7 anniversary with impressive numbers

Microsoft first took the wraps off its Windows Phone 7 platform at its MIX10 conference in March 2010. At that time, Microsoft began a long and important process of courting developers, distributing developer tools and giving interested parties an ecosystem that would allow them to thrive. Now, one year later, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Director Brandon Watson shares some numbers regarding developer involvement with the Windows Phone platform. So far, Microsoft’s Windows Phone developer tools have been downloaded 1.5 million times by 36,000 registered developers. About 1,200 new developers register for the Windows Phone developer program each week. The Windows Marketplace is now home to 11,500 apps, 7,500 of which are paid, and Windows Phone users download an average of 12 apps each month. Developer adoption of the Windows Phone platform will likely continue to accelerate as developers prepare for the sales surge expected when Nokia finally begins bringing Windows Phones to market. More →

15 Comments
Gaming
September 13, 2010
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Happy 25th birthday Super Mario Bros.

By on September 13, 2010 at 1:26 PM.

Happy 25th birthday Super Mario Bros.

On this very day in 1985, Nintendo released a game that would forever change the company’s future, Super Mario Bros. Originally dubbed Jumpman, the character was eventually renamed by Nintendo USA after a surprise visit from their disgruntled landlord Mario Segale. Other fun facts about Mario include: he was originally a carpenter (not a plumber) and most of his iconic features (hat, suspenders, mustache) were added to give distinction to his  in-game face (which had to use 8-bit graphics). Since the original’s release in Japan twenty five years ago, the Super Mario Bros. game-franchise has sold more than 240 million units worldwide and Mario has appeared in over 200 different video games. The original version of Super Mario Bros. for the NES was the best selling video game of all time (40+ million units) until it was ousted by Wii Sports (41.5+ million units) just last year. Happy 25th birthday Super Mario Bros.

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Software
July 7, 2009
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Apple's App Store turns 1

By on July 7, 2009 at 12:09 PM.

Apple's App Store turns 1

While the official 1-year anniversary of the App Store isn’t until Saturday, Apple apparently decided to start the celebration early. A new dedicated page headed with the colorful banner seen above appeared in iTunes this morning, proudly proclaiming that the App Store’s first birthday is upon us. So how is Apple celebrating this momentous occasion? By trying to get you to buy more apps, duh. Apple’s anniversary page is littered with Apple’s “favorite apps and games” alongside buy links to make sure they’re all nice and easy to snag. Shamelessness aside, there’s really no question that the advent of the App Store is among a handful of game-changing events that have taken place over the past few years. Over 56,000 apps… Well over a billion downloads… Every major competitor doing its best to mimic the offering… Yeah, it’s safe to say the App Store has definitely left its mark on the wireless industry.

Read (iTunes Link)

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General
November 2, 2008
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Boy Genius Report turns 2!

By on November 2, 2008 at 2:12 PM.

Boy Genius Report turns 2!

Wow. Two years have gone by super-fast — so fast that we forgot about our own anniversary — and we’re still as focused as ever. Last year we had a BGR anniversary event to blow things out, but we’re keeping it low key this year. No events, no parties, just work. After all, that’s why we’re where we are, right? Big shoutout to the whole BGR team that has put in countless hours of hard work and has helped maked BGR one of the most influential tech sites around. Joshua “I’m on tour” Karp, Zach “Is it smoke break time yet” Epstein, Marc “Hell yeah, I’ll sell that Storm on eBay” Flores, Kelly “Caffeine” Hodgkins, and last but not least, Michael “I wished I lived in London” Bettiol — you guys are awesome. But what good would all of the above writers be (including myself) if there was no one reading the site? We’ve got some of the most loyal fans on the planet (no, seriously, just read the comments), and we thank you. Thank you for making BGR your homepage, thank you for checking it out from your BlackBerry at work when you’re not supposed to, and thank you for almost ruining your honeymoon by sending us tips. Someone did actually do that. We’ve got some exciting things coming up (read: stupid giveaways other sites can’t touch) in the next couple weeks or so, and you know us… We’ll be working on those leaks, scoops, and exclusives that make BGR your favorite blogger’s favorite blog.

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