Perspective

Once the Stars of SXSW, How Have These Technologies Fared Since?

A look at 5 innovations touted at the Austin festival and how they've held up

collage of SXSW tech debuts — Technology joined the SXSW mix in 1994 with the debut of the CD-ROM. Adweek; Getty Images; Local Motors

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As a music festival entering its 35th season, SXSW has seen the debuts of some of the biggest stars of our time: Katy Perry, John Mayer, The White Stripes and Amy Winehouse all got their major breaks in downtown Austin, Texas.

But SXSW was destined from the start to be about more than music. Technology joined the mix in 1994 with the debut of a miraculous thing called the CD-ROM. In the three decades since, SXSW has put more gadgetry on stage than bands.