The incredible advances in chip technology and systems technology such as speech and pen recognition, small portable machines and new approaches to software distribution such as CDs and cable distribution will make the PC more of a communication device than a computation device … Thinking of the new machines simply as improved PCs is a mistake comparable to thinking of PCs as better mainframes.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In a 1993 article for Red Herring magazine, Anthony B. Perkins reports on what Microsoft CEO Bill Gates says at a Q-A session with other technology executives at the European Technology Roundtable Exposition. A portion of one Gates answer: ”The incredible advances in chip technology and systems technology such as speech and pen recognition, small portable machines and new approaches to software distribution such as CDs and cable distribution will make the PC more of a communication device than a computation device. It’s not just that the price of computing is changing; the very character of computing is changing … Thinking of the new machines simply as improved PCs is a mistake comparable to thinking of PCs as better mainframes. The mainframe market was only 20,000 machines, while the industry sells that many PCs in a few hours.”
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1993
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Internet Appliances
Name of publication: Red Herring
Title, headline, chapter name: Bill Gates: An American Gladiator in the Digital Arena
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue05/
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney