The iPod won’t last and other bad predictions

The World
The World

(Do you have an iPod? Well one of my favorite predictions was about the iPod�who said it and what did they say?) This was Alan Sugar, the big boss of a U.K. computer company and in 2005 he said the iPod would be dead. Of course that’s not true. (There are others that suffered a similar fate�what about Bill Gates?) He’s made some crackers. Back in 1981 he said no one would need more than 648 kb of memory in their computer. (Back in 1959, a U.S. Postmaster General came up with a novel way to deliver Christmas cards.) He said we stand on the threshold of rocket mail. In 1878, a U.K. postmaster said we don’t need telephones because we have enough messenger boys. (Ok let me put you on the spot�reading newspapers online, where is that trending in 2009?) You’re talking about e-readers and electronic ink, it’s so easy to read, not like reading from a computer screen. I think people really like that technology, it’s appealing to people.

Are you with The World?

The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.