Electronics have advanced so quickly due to the invention of transistors and even more importantly, the integrated circuit in 1960. For almost 50 years now, the number of transistors that can be put on a single piece of substrate has doubled every 18 months or so (Moore's Law). This allows putting millions of transistors into a single integrated circuit. There simply isn't any way to get that kind and rate of improvement out of car engines or other technologies.

Perhaps the most dramatic non-electronic technology advances were in aviation. From the Wright Brother's first brief controlled flights in ground effect (Dec 17, 1903) to airlines carrying millions of passengers around the world each day today (actually, this has been going on for quite some time) is a remarkable rate of development.