From idea to icon: 50 years of the floppy disk

Fifty years ago, IBM introduced the first-ever floppy disk drive, the IBM 23FD, and the first floppy disks. Floppies made punched cards obsolete, and its successors ruled software distribution for the next 20 years. Here's a look at how and why the floppy disk became an icon.

It's still amazing to me just how quickly they fell out of favour.