World Market

[ParagS Kulkarni]

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.

Thomas Watson
[chairman of IBM, 1943]

[Vijay Vaddem]

what are they?

[Michael Ernest]

There's a Cost Plus World Market that doesn't have any computers. unless you're counting POS terminals.

[Ashok Mash]

Originally posted by Parag S. Kulkarni:
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.

Thomas Watson
[chairman of IBM, 1943]

May be he was talking about the ultimate computer (the one that has analysed the vectors of every atom in Big bang)?

One to support all business, systems, men-in-black, men-with-guns etc, one to support all sorts of research, one to support entertainment, gaming and Windows customer support, one to help dolphins and rats study humans, and one to bring them all together!

[Mani Ram]

Is there any evidence that he actually made this quote?
Here are few more mis-quotes

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.
- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 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

But what ... is it good for?
- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

640K ought to be enough for anybody.
- Bill Gates, 1981