There’s an interesting fact about humans: most of us are wired to be skeptics. It really doesn’t matter what it is about… from climate change to religion, science to quantum computing, being skeptic comes naturally to us.
IBM Mainframes
Here’s what people said about computers half a century ago:
“I think there is a world market for maybe FIVE computers.”
– Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
– Popular Mechanics, 1949
“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.”
– The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
“There is NO reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
– Ken Olson, chairman & president of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 (Laugh)
It’s easy to laugh at these comments today, but back in the day, experts made these serious and supposedly learned observations.
So, where are the 1.5 ton computers?
Read more on IoT Practitioner.
