At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly
compared the computer
industry with the auto industry and
stated: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer
industry has, we would be driving twenty-five dollar cars that
got 1000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, GM issued a press release
stating (by Mr. Welch himself). If GM had developed technology
like Microsoft, we would be driving cars with
the following characteristics:
1. For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the
lines on the road you would
have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason,
and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn, would
cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case
you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you
bought "Car95" or "CarNT." But then you have would have to buy
more seats.
6. Macintosh
would make a car that was powered by the sun,
reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but
would only run on five percent of the roads.
7. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights
would be replaced by a single "general car default" warning
light.
8. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag system would say "Are you sure?" before going
off.
10. Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock
you out and
refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted
the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio
antenna.
11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe
set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though
they neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this
option would immediately cause the car's performance to diminish
by 50% or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for
investigation by the Justice Department.
12. Every time
GM introduced a new model car buyers would have
to learn how to drive all over again because none the controls
would operate in the same manner as the old car.
13. You'd press the "start" button to shut off the engine.
