Not All Technology Predictions Come True

Past experts had a hard time predicting the future of technology.

This month, we rounded up some of the top minds in financial services technology to give us their predictions about the future of the industry's IT. While we appreciate and respect the opinions of our contributors, one thing is clear: Even the top minds in the world aren't always right — sometimes, in fact, they're dead wrong. Below are some famous (and not so famous) technology predictions that missed the mark.

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."

—Ken Olsen, Founder of Digital Equipment (1977)

"It would appear that we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology — although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in five years."

—John Von Neumann (1949)

"One-hundred million dollars is way too much

to pay for Microsoft."

—IBM (1982)

"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."

—Prentice Hall business book editor (1957)