Which.co.uk was launched in 1996 – what’s changed?

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, which.co.uk takes a look at products owned by most people today to see how different they were ten years ago, and makes predictions about what we can expect in ten years’ time.

Malcolm Coles, Editor, which.co.uk, says: “It’s often said that people overestimate the change that will happen in one year, but underestimate how much will occur in ten.

“Looking back at Which? reports from ten years ago, the really interesting thing is that while technology has moved on in leaps and bounds, we face similar consumer choices today to the ones we did back then.

“While a decade ago it was whether to spend a fortune on a ‘future-proof’ widescreen TV, nowadays it’s whether to splash out on an HD-ready set. Who knows what questions we’ll be answering in 2016?”

TVs

When Which? tested televisions in June 1996, the first widescreen sets were becoming available for an eye-watering £1,300. The main justification for the sky-high price was that a widescreen set would be future-proof. Now that widescreen is commonplace, though, consumers are faced with a similar choice about whether to splash out on a big-bucks high definition ‘HD ready’ set.

Mobile phones

The bulky mobile phones of 1996, when which.co.uk was launched, may have looked svelte at the time in comparison with the famous ‘bricks’ of the 1980s, but ten years on they may as well be WW2 field radios compared to mobiles today. Based on analogue technology, you had to extend an aerial to use them, and there wasn’t even text messaging, let alone camera phones and video clips.

Computers

The computers of 1996 seem pitifully underpowered and laughably over-priced compared to today’s. The Which? Best Buy PC of 1996 cost £1,600 and was less powerful than today’s average mobile phone or MP3 player. Today, £400 will secure something many times more powerful, nicer to look at, and capable of tasks that would have been the preserve of Hollywood post-production studios in 1996.

White goods

There’s no doubt that government and individuals alike want our appliances to become greener. Soap and water may be replaced with compressed air and negative ions for cleaning clothes, while we may see dishwashers that use ‘friendly’ bacteria to remove grime.

Cars

The last decade has seen a huge increase in the amount of electronics that manufacturers are packing into their vehicles. None of the family cars that Which? tested in May 1996 had electronic stability control to help avert an accident; these systems are common and affordable now. Similarly, good quality GPS satellite navigation systems are no longer the preserve of expensive luxury cars – they can now be picked up for around £300.