Then in 1998, it dawned on Jony and Steve that if these were to become central to our lives, then they should probably work nicely and look good. And with that, Apple Inc took over the world.

Lumbering along very slowly behind is the world of home electrics. We have had nice switch plates and light fittings for years, but for some reason manufacturers have blindspots for certain products. How often have you been admiring a new interior when your eye settles on some munter of a smoke alarm, extractor fan, thermostat, CCTV camera, alarm panel…?

There is hope though. Eventually someone in a polo neck walks into the technical department, opens the curtains, rubs their noses in what they have made and demands better. I salute some of the fruits of their endeavour (clockwise from top left);

Icon fan by Airflow - www.airflow.com

Doorbell by Spore - www.sporedoorbells.com

Thermostat by Nest - www.nest.com

Smoke Detector also by Nest

There are others, but these four look good together on my page.

NB None of these people sponsor me - but they should.