Choosing the most important technology product of the last 30 years is no easy task: does the iPhone deserve this distinction? The Nintendo Switch? The Apple Vision Pro? Okay, maybe not the last one. But that’s the task T3 set itself for its 30th anniversary awards – and after much deliberation, it crowned Apple’s iPod as the ultimate winner.
The iPod, launched in 2001, has been considered the most important product in T3’s life, reflecting its popularity, longevity and, ultimately, revolutionary nature.
“The iPod was more than just a product, it was a revolution for the entire music industry,” explains Mat Gallagher, editor-in-chief of T3.
“What started with 1,000 songs in your pocket introduced iTunes and paying for digital music. Although ultimately the iPhone made the iPod redundant, without the iPod the iPhone would not have existed.”
T3, launched in 1996 and owned by TechRadar’s Future, also honored two giants of the past 30 years with special anniversary awards: Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, was named British icon, while outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook was declared person of the year.
The awards cover 84 categories in total, ranging from kitchen technology to transportation and from smartphones to smartwatches. The prestigious Product of the Year went to the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, while Garmin won the Brand of the Year award and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra won the Readers’ Choice award.
Meanwhile, Lego Smart Play won the Tech Innovation Award and the Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush won the Sustainability Award. There were also four winners of the Design Awards, which were voted on by a panel of industry editors, including Marc McLaren, global editor-in-chief of TechRadar; the Nothing Headphone (1) and the Dyson PencilVac were among those to take home honors.
You can now view all 84 winners on T3, while the anniversary edition of the magazine is now on sale.
