|
"Popular Mechanics," forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"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."
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
"But what is it good for?"
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."
"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."
Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."
Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads.
"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this."
Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer.
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'"
Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable" problem by inventing Nautilus.
"You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training."
Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy."
Admiral William Leahy, US Atomic Bomb Project.
"The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives."
Harry Guggenheim, millionaire aviation enthusiast.
"This fellow Charles Lindbergh will never make it. He's doomed."
Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.
"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau."
Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.
"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value."
Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television.
"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances."
Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
|
|
