“When the Paris Exhibition closes, electric light will close with
it and no more be heard of.”
--- Erasmus Wilson, professor at Oxford University, 1878.
“Well-informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires and that were it possible
to do so, the thing would be of no practical value.” --- Editorial in the Boston Post, 1865.
"Television won't be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." --- Darryl F. Zanuck, 1946.
“Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.”
--- Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, circa 1895.
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” -- Thomas Watson, Chairman, IBM,
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." – Ken Olson, president, chairman of Digital Equipment Corporation, maker of business mainframe computers, arguing against the PC in 1977.
"The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty."
--- President of Michigan Savings Bank, 1903, advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford
Motor Co..
"With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself." -- Business Week, August 2, 1968
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?" – Associates of David Sarnoff on his request for investment in radio (1921)
Some Incorrect Predictions