Briton Charles Kao is lauded for his work in helping to develop fibre optic cables, the slender threads of glass that carry phone and net data as light.
Willard Boyle and George Smith, both North Americans, are recognised for their part in the invention of the charge-coupled device, or CCD.
It appears to me that the recent Prizes for physics have been leaning towards technology. I mean, it hardly needs to be mentioned the tremendous impact of optical cables and CCDs in modern society. It's just like how two years ago, it was awarded to giant magnetoresistance, which forms the basis of our hard disks.
In fact, if you compare it with Prizes given to fields in applied physics decades ago, it's a sharp contrast in terms of social applicability. Then, they were bestowed onto researchers working on neutron scattering, superconductors and stuff like that, which has a great impact in physics but not so much in terms of practical technology. Of course, there's always the exception - such as the transistor - but I think there is a greater emphasis on technology.
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