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In honor of Amazon's 20th anniversary-bad prediction contest
Posted on: May 15, 2017 at 15:07:11 CT
mu7176grad MU
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Foolish Tech Prediction 1
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
[ Further reading: The best surge protectors for your expensive electronics ]
Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943
At the dawn of the computer industry, nobody really knew where this new technology would take us. But the explosion of desktop computing that put a PC in nearly every American home within 50 years seems to have eluded the imagination of most mid-century futurists.
After all, when IBM's Thomas Watson said "computer," he meant "vacuum-tube-powered adding machine that's as big as a house." It's fair to say that few people ever wanted one of those, regardless of the size of their desk.
(IBM did stay in the business, of course. For details, see our retrospective, "The IBM Personal Computer's 25th Anniversary.")
Edited by mu7176grad at 15:08:19 on 05/15/17
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
[ Further reading: The best surge protectors for your expensive electronics ]
Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943
At the dawn of the computer industry, nobody really knew where this new technology would take us. But the explosion of desktop computing that put a PC in nearly every American home within 50 years seems to have eluded the imagination of most mid-century futurists.
After all, when IBM's Thomas Watson said "computer," he meant "vacuum-tube-powered adding machine that's as big as a house." It's fair to say that few people ever wanted one of those, regardless of the size of their desk.
(IBM did stay in the business, of course. For details, see our retrospective, "The IBM Personal Computer's 25th Anniversary.")
Edited by mu7176grad at 15:08:19 on 05/15/17
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In honor of Amazon's 20th anniversary-bad prediction contest - mu7176grad MU - 5/15 15:07:11