“Seven months of shattered plans, lockdowns and rapidly improvised new normals have converted jaded consumers around the world into frantic gadget freaks, each grasping for items that, in their chaotic disparity, tell the story of a strange, dark year: pulse oximeters, the iPhone 12, HEPA air filters, infrared thermometers, bare-minimum tablets and laptops for schooling, the PlayStation 5 (pre-order), ring lights, miniature freezers, home networking equipment, and noise canceling headphones.”
— John Herrman, Gadgets Were on the Way Out. Then 2020 Happened.
We’ll add a few other pandemic-induced purchases to the list: flour, bikes, masks, recreational marijuana, Airstreams and inflatable pools, WFH office furniture, Roomba vacuums, and outdoor heaters.
