No Potential
“Computers
in the future may weigh more than 1.5 tons.”
- 'Popular Mechanics' forecasting the relentless march of science, (1949).
“I think
there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM. (1943)
“This
'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of
communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
- American telephone company, Western Union, internal memo. (1876)
“The
wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a
message sent to nobody in particular?”
- David Smirnoff's associates, in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in
the 1920's.
“...but what
is it good for...?”
- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems, IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.