The prediction, in brief:

The upcoming battle that really matters is the up-start Microsoft Network versus the older, but crowd-pleasing Internet … It says a lot about Microsoft’s reputation that even though the Internet weighs in with 30 million subscribers to MSN’s zero, it’s the Internet that’s being painted as the underdog. But my money is on the Net, a wily opponent with a record of swallowing up any competition. Forget age versus youth; this fight will be a morality tale about hubris.

Predictor: Steinberg, Steve G.

Prediction, in context:

In a 1995 article listing tech items and issues that are currently being hyped, Steve Steinberg of Wired magazine writes:”Forget about [George] Foreman’s next fight; the upcoming battle that really matters is the up-start Microsoft Network (formerly known as Marvel) versus the older, but crowd-pleasing Internet. Microsoft Network will be easily accessible from any machine running Windows 95, will offer a gamut of online services, and will charge primarily for content rather than connect time. It says a lot about Microsoft’s reputation that even though the Internet weighs in with 30 million subscribers to MSN’s zero, it’s the Internet that’s being painted as the underdog. But my money is on the Net, a wily opponent with a record of swallowing up any competition. Forget age versus youth; this fight will be a morality tale about hubris.” 

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure

Subtopic: Internet Service Providers

Name of publication: Wired

Title, headline, chapter name: Hype List: Post-Internet

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.04/hypelist.html

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney