Welcome to CES 2010!  Wakefield will be positing daily from CES this week.

As this year’s CES introduces a new decade, we thought it best for our initial CES post to reflect first on the top tech innovations of the past.  Therefore, in a nationally representative survey of 1,000 Americans, we asked people directly: what was the best technological innovation of the decade?

The survey results above show that 18-34 year olds have truly become a wireless generation.  Meaning, they take to heart how significantly Wi-Fi has changed their lives and consider this the best tech innovation of the decade.

Older Americans (ages 35+) place increased importance on GPS – with Americans 65 and older feeling this was the key tech innovation of the decade.

These opinions highlight how different generations of Americans have incorporated technology into their lives in distinct ways.

Or on the other hand, perhaps years of arguments over driving directions and whether they’re even lost to begin with have convinced older Americans that, while Wi-Fi may have revolutionized access to information, GPS made driving to restaurants and friends’ houses a whole lot easier…and that’s pretty significant.