Consumer tech in the early 2000s had a vibe—everything was getting smaller, flashier, and way more fun to look at. Translucent hardware was everywhere—thanks to Apple’s iMac G3 in ‘98, you started seeing see-through plastic on everything from Game Boys to landline phones. MP3 players were starting to take over, with devices like the Diamond Rio in ‘98, then Apple dropping the first iPod in 2001 and changing the whole game—1,000 songs in your pocket wasn’t just marketing, it was a flex. USB flash drives started replacing floppy disks, digital cameras were popping off, and everyone had a Nokia brick with Snake on it. It was a weird, colorful, experimental time for tech—before everything got slim, gray, and serious.