Articles by Ross Kelly, News and Analysis Editor, ITPro

Ross Kelly is News & Analysis Editor at ITPro, responsible for leading the brand's news output and in-depth reporting on the latest stories from across the business technology landscape. Ross was previously a Staff Writer, during which time he developed a keen interest in cyber security, business leadership, cloud computing, and emerging technologies.

He graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Journalism, and joined ITPro in 2022 after four years working in technology conference research.

Articles by: Ross Kelly

A 3d illustration of a server room with node base programming. Data design element. Concept of big data storage and cloud computing technology.

This obscure company could’ve taken the storage market by storm – but building commercially viable holographic storage was simply a bridge too far

By Ross Kelly published 1 December 25

InPhase Technologies could've taken the storage market by storm, but it just couldn't get a solid working product.

A close-up of a person typing on the keyboard of their laptop

This pioneering instant messaging platform tried to keep up with the times - we take a closer look at why ICQ failed

By Ross Kelly published 23 November 25

ICQ was a real trailblazer when it came to instant messaging - so what went wrong?

Microsoft created a tablet years before Apple, but it never took off - here's why

By Ross Kelly published 22 November 25

Bill Gates proudly displayed a pioneering Microsoft tablet device way back in 2000, but it never really took off.

Windows 1.0 released 40 years ago today - and started Microsoft's road to success

By Ross Kelly published 20 November 25

Windows 1.0 didn't exactly blow the industry away, but it laid the groundwork for Microsoft's future success.

In 1970 a patent for an obscure computer device was granted - and it changed personal computing forever

By Ross Kelly published 20 November 25

Adoption of the computer mouse took time, but pioneering Silicon Valley figures helped spur it forward.

Bill Gates at Microsoft Office launch in 2003

The IBM deal that sparked Microsoft’s rise to prominence

By Ross Kelly published 6 November 25

Microsoft's landmark deal to deliver an operating system for IBM changed the face of tech.

On this day in 2015, Hewlett Packard split - creating two industry heavyweights and rocking the technology world

By Ross Kelly published 5 November 25

Hewlett Packard's decision to split made perfect sense at the time - and it has paid dividends.

Intel’s 386 processor was a game changer - here’s why it was so important for today's tech landscape

By Ross Kelly published 16 October 25

The launch of Intel's 386 CPU marked the beginning of a huge boom for the chip manufacturer.

Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google Inc., speaks during the company's Cloud Next '18 event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Why Google rebranded to Alphabet - and why it paid dividends

By Ross Kelly published 2 October 25

Google's decision to rebrand to Alphabet made shocked the industry at the time, and it's since paid dividends.

How Lenovo’s IBM PC acquisition took it from global market minnow to industry heavyweight

By Ross Kelly published 1 October 25

Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC division instantly made it the third-largest manufacturer globally

A designer using a laptop and tablet, surrounded by color palettes

How a dispute over royalties gave birth to the PNG file format

By Ross Kelly published 1 October 25

The rise of the PNG came from a royalties dispute, and the format continues strongly today.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with a Macintosh computer.

Remebering Be Incorporated - the early 90s startup whose fate was decided by Steve Jobs

By Ross Kelly published 1 October 25

Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée co-founded Be Inc in the early 1990s, hoping to take on Silicon Valley titans.

Steve Jobs’ iconic NeXT venture officially launched 40 years ago

By Ross Kelly published 14 September 25

Steve Jobs came full circle after his sacking from Apple, forming a new venture which was eventually acquired by the tech giant

A close up of a person typing on a MacBook keyboard.

Long before Google took the world by storm, this search engine paved the way for everyone

By Ross Kelly published 10 September 25

While Google is a mainstay of the modern web, Archie is widely acknowledged as the first search engine

Old magazine rolled up placed on top of pile on a coffee table.

I journeyed into the web archive of an iconic consumer electronics magazine – here’s what I found

By Ross Kelly published 30 August 25

Byte magazine was a staple for technology news readers from the mid-1970s and well into the 1990s - and now you can journey through time.

Bill Gates and Jay Leno at the Windows 95 launch in 1995

Windows 95 at 30 - Way ahead of its time, or the greatest Microsoft game-changer?

By Ross Kelly published 24 August 25

Windows 95 changed the game for Microsoft and set the standard for the company's iconic operating system.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with blue background

From book sales to cloud market dominance: 30 years of Amazon have come and gone in a flash

By Ross Kelly published 16 July 25

Amazon officially launched on July 16th 1995, and has since grown into a true tech industry behemoth.

'ILOVEYOU': The virus that rocked the world, 25 years on

By Ross Kelly published 5 May 25

We take a look back at ILOVEYOU, one of the first major viruses.

The Opera browser is still singing at 30 - and with its recent AI upgrade it's come a long way from the days of floppy disks

By Ross Kelly published 9 April 25

The Opera browser is 30 today, and it's come a long way over the years - from 'trialware' to AI-powered features, it's still going strong.

Finger Presses Orange Button Domain Name Registration on Black Keyboard Background. Closeup View

I visited the world’s first registered .com domain – and you won’t believe what it’s offering today

By Ross Kelly published 14 March 25

The first .com domain was registered in 1985 - and it's still going strong.

Dell Pro 75 Plus monitor pictured against a white background.

Dell just launched a $4,000 75-inch 4K touchscreen display - but I've found one rival that's 50% cheaper

By Ross Kelly published 13 March 25

Dell's latest display is a 75-inch behemoth, but it comes with a very hefty price tag.

Millions of Americans are missing out on cheap unlimited cloud storage - how to check if you are one of them

By Ross Kelly published 13 March 25

Millions of Americans can take advantage of unlimited cloud storage services with these two leading carriers.

At 11lbs, this double 24-inch 'portable' monitor is a bit too much for me but I love the audacity

By Ross Kelly published 5 March 25

Thanko dual-screen monitor is a productivity powerhouse - if you can get your hands on one.

This is the smallest AMD PC I've ever seen: mysterious manufacturer uses Ryzen 3 APU with surprising results

By Ross Kelly published 4 March 25

The GenMachine Zhi is an obscure mini PC, but with an AMD Ryzen 3 5425U APU and tiny compact design, it packs a mighty punch.

The Chuwi Aubox 8745 mini PC pictured on a home office desk with monitor.

This is probably the best Windows alternative to the M4 Mac Mini: AMD-powered mini PC can drive four 8K monitors and has two 2.5Gb Ethernet connectors

By Ross Kelly published 28 February 25

The AuBox 8745 mini PC from Chuwi could rival the Apple M4 Mac Mini - but how does it shape up in terms of performance?