
Why it's always 1977 in the world of tech punditry - ohjeez
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/8/11877476/nest-roomba-google-glass-fail
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dalke
My summary: people look at new technology and proclaim that it will fail
because there's no real need for it. (Examples: the microcomputer in the
1970s, a mobile phone with a camera derided in the Daily Show.)

This can lead to scoffing at any criticism of new technology, by pointing to
examples of how the technology really took off. (''' "New technologies always
look overly complex and underpowered at the outset," we'd say. "But they don't
stay that way."''')

However, the author says "There's no Moore's law for the physical world". Many
problems (eg, a Roomba jammed by a cat toy) aren't solved by more processing
power.

Personally, I agree. I would have included older examples, like the HERO home
robot from the 1980s, or the VR rush of the 1990s, including the Power Glove.

