When you compare the technology of yesterday with that of today, it's amazing how far we've come. It’s smaller, faster, cheaper and generally just better all round. Why then is current technology looking to the past for inspiration? Simple answer: nostalgia. Whether it’s the credit crunch or general uncertainty about the future that’s caused it, it seems that everyone from Apple to Amazon is fondly reminiscing about what used to be… in high definition of course.

Take the iPad, a state-of-the-art example of streamlined, multi-functional modern technology. Remember Blinky, the ghost leader of Pinky, Inky and Clyde? The tech-gurus at Apple certainly do. Hence the resurrection of Pac-Man, the famous arcade classic which has returned in a faithful rendition for the iPad. Navigate through the mazes by touching the onscreen controller in Joystick Mode, or chomp on dots with the swipe of a finger in Swipe Mode. Fruit, extra lives and Power Pellets are all there. Getting sentimental about those nights you stayed up trying to advance to that final stage with Duran Duran pumping from your boom box? You’re showing your age. Pac-Man was first released in 1980.

The iPad takes us back even further with the Etch a Sketch case and app. Called “the magic screen” by Andre Cassagnes, who invented the toy version in the late 1950s, Etch a Sketch is a mechanical drawing screen featuring aluminium powder and a movable stylus. Draw your masterpiece, then twiddle the knobs on the bright red frame to erase it. For an aesthetic trip back in time, slip your iPad into the bright red Etch A Sketch case (with rubber feet, felt backing and a retractable kickstand). To doodle too, get the app. With the multi-touch feature, you can use both knobs just like the real thing. Want to start over? Shake it, baby.

Sports technology is showing a similar wistful yearning for the past – perhaps for good reason in the case of Vibram Fivefingers. Branded ‘the barefoot running alternative’, these ‘foot gloves’ feature a seriously skinny 3mm rubber sole and are marketed to prevent running injuries. How? By retraining our bodies to run like we did when we still hunted our dinner – on foot.

Says Escapade Sports store, Hong Kong’s first stockist of the cult running shoe: “Before the 70s there were no cushioned trainers around. Everyone ran in flat shoes. Since the rise of the cushioned sole and supported instep, running injuries have mushroomed. Vibram Fivefingers take us back, way before the 70s, to teach us the healthy way of running again.”

There are many more examples, such as Amazon’s Kindle e-book device harking back to basics with its claims of a screen that “reads like real paper”. But of course, there would be. As Thomas Ricker of engadget.com says: “If there’s one sure way to get consumers to part with their hard-earned cash, it’s nostalgia.” Because, well, those were the days, weren’t they?