A lot can happen in the span of 10 years, especially in the world of technology. With the pace new apps and gadgets are introduced these days, it’s easy to forget that the products we enjoy every day weren’t even around a mere decade ago.

Let’s take a look back at the origins of the convenient and cool things the tech industry gifted us since 2009.

Instagram

Oleg_P/Shutterstock — Instagram is currently the most popular traditional social media network among teens

Instagram was first launched in October 2010, and it has certainly come far since then. From just 25,000 users on its first day, the popular photo-sharing app now boasts of having a user base of a billion people today.

Despite being acquired by Facebook’s CEO in 2012, Instagram continues to grow and introduce new features to its users. For example, it can now host longer video content thanks to a service called IGTV.

4G Networks

The introduction of 4G networks effectively made cellular communication faster than ever. Its invention made way for a new breed of mobile phones that accommodated broadband technology.

Less than a decade since it became accessible to the public, a better and improved version has been launched. 5G-compatible smartphones are now in development after carriers have expanded their networks to 5G.

Lyft

Michael Vi / Shutterstock –Lyft has expanded its horizons to dabble in bike-sharing, electric scooters, and self-driving cars

There was a time when you’d have to compete with other commuters to hail a cab. The emergence of ride-hailing apps changed things for the better, though.

One of the largest ones in the game is Lyft, which was launched in 2012. Starting out as a long-distance carpooling and car-sharing idea, the San Francisco-based service is now a $13 billion company.

The iPad

The late Steve Jobs gifted the world with amazing tech products before he passed away in 2011. One of these is the iPad, which the Apple co-founder promised to give the best browsing experience we’ll ever have.

He wasn’t bluffing. Ten years and several iterations later, people are still buying the tablet computer because of the convenience it brings to personal browsing and education-related uses.

seewhatmitchsee/Shutterstock — Alexa-enabled devices can now perform over 90,000 functions

Amazon Echo

It’s only been six years since the world was introduced to the Amazon Echo device and the virtual assistant Alexa. We’re betting that a lot of people can’t imagine their home life without these two nifty inventions.

Originally envisioned to be a voice-control option for music playing, the Echo can do more than that these days. It can practically run an entire household’s operations from keeping track of your to-do lists to updating your calendar.

Ann Meyer