Who do you think made the statement, “There is no reason why everyone should have a computer at home.” hit home? It was made in 1977 by Ken Olsen of Digital Equipment Corp. The company is considered one of the pioneers in the computer industry – and despite this statement coming from none other than the company’s founder and longtime CEO.

This quote is also a clear example of how different the view of computers is these days. Because of the Corona pandemic, our view of the issue has intensified once again. Compared to 2019, for example, nearly 13 million more computers were sold overall in 2020. And in 2021, the numbers are likely to increase even more. In the second quarter of 2021, 13.2% more computers were sold than in the same quarter of 2020 – a clear upward trend, in other words.

Nevertheless, Ken Olsen was not completely wrong with his statement: In the meantime, there are various alternatives to a classic computer. Almost everyone owns at least one smartphone, and many also have a tablet. And for classic office work, most people have access to a computer, even if they don’t own one at home. The digital world has grown steadily in recent years – so we’re curious to see how our view of Olsen’s statement will continue to change in the future.

Your Faktor Zehn

Sources: https://www.computerwoche.de/a/die-spektakulaersten-fehlprognosen-der-it-geschichte,2532211

https://www.computerbase.de/2021-07/lenovo-vor-hp-und-dell-pc-markt-waechst-weiterhin-und-strotzt-chipmangel/

https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/192546/umfrage/absatz-von-pcs-weltweit-seit-2006/